The Pink Shirt
by AngelCrepe
Summary: Spencer Reid finds a stranger in a coffee shop. How is this going to progress? It just can't end well. ReidXOC. Back-on-track. New updates soon.
1. Prologue

Note: I own nothing! Absolutely nothing!

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><p>It began with a pink shirt. More specifically, Spencer Reid's brand new baby pink shirt; and of course, the fact that it was pink and matched so well with his superman tie prompted questions.<p>

"Hey, Spence. Nice shirt" JJ said, her eyes and face clearly surprised and amused at his choice of colour.

"Oh, it's not strange" Spencer replied, "Thank God! I was worried about the choice of colours, as well as superman as the hero on my tie. Somehow having the man of steel on one's tie is not as boosting to one's ego as it might seem. But there is a fairly large number of superman underwear in stores. Perhaps that's a better ego booster than people might let on." He rambled until JJ gave up and started to walk towards the coffee machine.

"So, why the pink shirt?" JJ ventured, deciding to not ask any superman related doubts.

"Oh, this woman bumped into me in the coffee shop, which resulted in the spilling of my double espresso on my shirt. She then offered to get me a new coffee, a new shirt and a new tie." He explained. JJ was admittedly shocked that Spencer had accepted this obviously generous offer on the woman's part with such little hesitation, or so it seemed.

"And you accepted it without a banter?" She asked, honestly shocked.

"I did refuse, but she insisted on it in her British accent, which was quiet amusing. I did offer to buy her lunch in exchange and she accepted." He informed. Jennifer smiled.

"Well, you look away for a second and Spence is picking up girls in cafes." She teased.

And for the rest of the day Spencer heard a lot of comments, jokes and remarks about anything and everything that involved dating and women.

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><p>Reviews are love!<p> 


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own the O'Connell family. And nothing else.

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><p>Chapter One : LUNCH TURNED SHRINK SESSION<p>

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><p>It was a Wednesday when Spencer called Sadie O'Connell, or as the BAU had come to know her, "the coffee-shop woman", to make plans for lunch. And, of course, it took him a week to actually keep it.<p>

They met at a slightly upscale establishment, which was a cross between a cafe and a fully-fledged restaurant. Spencer spotted Sadie the moment he entered. She was a small, athletic woman, with black hair and light green eyes. She was dressed for the summer in a simple sundress with bold borders. She seemed to be drinking a cappucino, although it sat untouched on her table. She was far too engrossed in the book in her hand. Nine Stories by J. . Spencer realised he'd stopped walking and then made his way towards her.

"Sadie" he said. She looked up abruptly and smiled at him.

"Dr. Reid" she said standing up and shaking holding out her hand for a shake. Spencer waved at her and said, "Did you know handshakes can transmit millions of organisms that can cause illnesses in those susceptible? It would be safer to kiss" he finished. Sadie withdrew her hand.

"It's still a bit early for a kiss" she said, "settle for a wave?"she asked, waving and then gesturing for him to sit. Spencer put his messenger bag down and sat opposite her.

"I see you started without me" Spencer said, nodding towards her cuppa. Sadie smiled apologetically.

"Curse of routine" she admitted, "I must have ordered without consciously thinking about it" she said. Spencer nodded.

"I've often experienced that too. Especially when it comes to morning routines that are too mechanical to allow conscious thought. Once, when I was babysitting Henry, I ordered two double espressos without really thinking about it and ended up with an angry toddler and a quadruple espresso I had no idea how to finish" he rambled. Sadie smiled.

"Henry?" She enquired.

"JJ, Jennifer Jareau, my friend's son. He's six now." He informed. Sadie smiled.

"So, Dr. Reid" Sadie said, "Why did you insist on having lunch with me today?" She asked.

Spencer stared at her. Despite the smile on her face, he knew she was troubled. It was a common feature of people who were troubled to get to the point. She wasn't enjoying this meeting as much as him. He frowned slightly.

"Is something wrong?" He asked. Sadie frowned a little, put her book down and shook her head. Instead of replying, she picked up her cappucino and took a sip. Spencer waited. He knew it was only their second interaction, but he had been watching her everyday in the coffee shop where they'd bumped into each other, for a year now. And each day, her expression was just as gloomy as the one she had on her face right that moment. An expression that said she had no interest in anyone around her, or the rest of the world.

"Truth be told" Sadie started slowly, "Perhaps it was not the best idea to meet for lunch." She admitted. Spencer frowned a little.

"Why not?" He ventured to ask. Sadie looked up at him.

"I'm not the best company" she admitted, "I'm all doom and gloom."

Spencer wondered if the people around her had described her as such. It was very strange to come to that conclusion on her own.

"If you like, you can share it with me. I'll listen if you want to talk" he offered. Sadie looked up, a small smile on her face.

"You a shrink, Dr. Reid?" She asked. Spencer smiled at her attempt at a joke. He stared at her until she caved.

"Well, if you want to listen, I'll tell you why I'm so doom and gloom" she said, "My brother died last year" she managed to breathe out.

"I'm sorry" Spencer said, shocked by her admission. Sadie smiled sadly.

"He was my only family" she told him, "Now, I'm alone, always alone."

"How did he die?" He asked, "If I may ask?" He added.

"Car crash" she said.

"I'm so sorry, Sadie" Spencer said. Sadie bit her lower lip.

"The coffee shop we met? Nolan and I used to sit there every morning. He would be solving the day's crossword and I'd be reading the book he'd picked out for me that morning" she said, her eyes distant, as if she were thinking of her brother, "Then, after he'd finished his coffee, he would get up, kiss my head and tell me to have a great day and head to the hospital."

Spencer watched as she let out a heavy breath. It sounded like she hadn't talked about her brother or his death to anyone. It sounded as if she truly was all alone. Spencer had no words to offer her. Nothing could fill the gaping hole in her chest. He knew better than anyone.

"Was he a doctor? Your brother?" He asked, instead, trying to distract her from his death.

"Yeah, he worked at the clinic in the Hoover building" she said. Spencer froze for a moment.

"He worked for the FBI?" He asked. Sadie shrugged.

"Is that what's there?" She mumbled, uninterested, "It hardly matters now, though." She finished. Sadie sipped her cappucino, which was probably stone cold. She didn't complain though. Spencer wondered why he suddenly felt suspicious about the death of Dr. Nolan O'Connell.

They didn't talk much after that. They managed to eat a couple of sandwiches between them, then parted, with no set plans to meet.

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><p>Reviews are love.<p> 


	3. Chapter 2

Note: To all those who reviewed: Thank you from the bottom of my heart and soul! They were right when they said 'Reviews are love!' Who'd have thought?

In any case, here's chapter two with Spencer! Enjoy!

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><p>Chapter Two<p>

PENELOPE GARCIA'S MYSTIC MAGICAL FINGERS

Spencer wandered through the halls of the bureau, still distracted. It had been a week since the lunch. And still, his mind told him something was off about Sadie's story. Surely, he would remember a British doctor in the bureau. No chance of doubt there. Surprised that he didn't recall such a man prompted investigation. And Spencer knew exactly which computer genius he needed to go to for that information.

"Garcia, I need help" Spencer said, when he found the genius hacker in the coffee room.

"Have you not had coffee on your way to work like everyday?" Penelope asked, surprised. Spencer scowled.

"I meant with this woman I know" he said. Penelope grinned.

"Coffee-shop woman?" She asked, excitement clear as day on her face.

"Yes, Sadie. Her brother, Dr. Nolan O'Connell worked in the Hoover building. Can you find out about him?" He asked. Penelope scowled.

"Is that legal?" She asked. Spencer frowned.

"Why wouldn't it be?" He asked. Penelope shrugged.

"Cause it sounds like cyber-stalking with government access?" she sounded uncertain, prompting Spencer to think about it.

"I just want to know why I don't remember seeing a British doctor in the bureau" he said. Penelope smiled.

"If you say so, Reid. Just know, if they ask me, I'll prove you blackmailed me" she said. Spencer pressed his lips together in an awkward smile that made Penelope grin and wander back to her system room.

While the hacker played with magic, Spencer played with his phone. Sadie's contact info blinked on screen. Derek Morgan watched as their genius stared at his phone and glanced towards the comp room every few seconds.

"Reid, everything alright?" Derek finally asked. Spencer turned to his colleague and friend and nodded.

"Yeah, why?" He asked. Derek looked at him.

"You're on edge, fidgety" he replied. Spencer frowned a little, then stood up abruptly, noticing the look Penelope was giving him.

"Excuse me" Spencer said, then left the room.

"What did you find out?" Spencer asked. Penelope frowned.

"There it is, Nolan O'Connell, nicknamed the Doctor'" she said, "He migrated to the states twenty years ago from Ireland. He was recruited sixteen years ago and he made agent soon after. He worked undercover for almost ten of those years, mostly in Europe, then took a desk job at the Hoover building. Last year, in December he was intercepted by the Bulgarian anti-terrorist organisation after they accused him of trading National secrets" she narrated.

Spencer frowned.

"Is there any information about next of kin?" He asked.

"Younger sister Sadie, is here in D.C on a work visa from the U.K. She's a novelist. Her first book came out two years ago. Says here she claimed it to have been inspired by her own life story" she narrated, "no other known family."

Spencer stared at the info available and wondered why there was no one else mentioned. Everyone had parents, after all.

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><p>Spencer called Sadie that same afternoon.<p>

"Hello?" Her voice said tentatively across the waves.

"It's Spencer Reid calling for Sadie O'Connell" he said, despite already have recognized her voice.

"Dr. Reid" she said, teasingly, "I didn't think you'd call" she admitted, sounding truthful.

"Was the lunch that bad?" Spencer inquired.

"Wasn't it? Wasn't I terrible company?" She asked. Spencer smiled a little.

"It was a good lunch" he admitted. He heard her sigh, hopefully with relief.

"That's good" she said, "Thank you, for not thinking my sorrow is boring." She added. Spencer pressed his lips together.

"I was wondering if you're free on Sunday?" Spencer asked instead.

"Oh! This Sunday?" She asked, sounding surprised, "That's a bit early" she added. Spencer frowned. Perhaps he should've talked it over with Morgan first. Morgan always knew what to do when it came to women.

"There's a selected display of turn of the century artifacts in the Smithsonian and I was wondering if you wanted to go?" Spencer blurted out. Then, he waited in anticipation as he only heard the white noise of radio waves.

"The Smithsonian?" She repeated, uncertainly.

"It's a museum on Washington ave. Also on the grounds is the hoover building, the Lincoln memorial and the air and space museum." He explained.

"I see" she said, slowly, "alright, I guess. What time?" She asked. Spencer found himself feeling relieved at her response.

"Around nine at the coffee-shop where we met?" He suggested.

"Ok. See you then, Dr. Reid" she said, her tone playful as she hung up.

Spencer stared at his phone for a long time after she had hung up, prompting the questioning look from Morgan.

"You alright, Reid? he asked. Spencer looked up.  
>"Fine" he breathed out, "Say, Morgan" he said, looking up at his closest male friend, "I'm taking Sadie to the Smithsonian this Sunday and I was wondering if you could help me out?" He asked.<p>

Derek looked at him curiously, then smiled.

"It's coffee-shop girl, isn't it?" He asked.

Spencer nodded.

"Good job getting a second date so soon, Sport" Derek said, his face and voice proud.

Spencer smiled at him.

"Thanks, I suppose" Spencer said, frowning slightly, "I had something I need to know before that. Do you have a minute?"

Derek looked at him seriously. If Spencer needed his help, he would be more than willing to give it. After all, this was Spencer's first attempt at a relationship after Maeve.

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><p>Note: Reviews are love.<p>

Next chapter will be out soon. Hopefully, will be a little longer than this shortie.


	4. Chapter 3

Thank you for all your reviews! It felt really good to read them!

Slight changes have been made since last update! Thanks to Marcallie for the info regarding the Smithsonian! Super helpful!

Here's a new chapter.

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><p>CHAPTER THREE<p>

THE SMITHSONIAN SUMMER EXHIBITION

Sadie met Spencer at the coffee shop dressed in a pair of black jeans, a T-shirt, hoodie and a pair of sneakers. Spencer stopped when he saw her, not because of her attire, but because she was still holding that same copy of Nine Stories he'd seen her with the last time they'd met. She smiled when she saw him, closed the book and walked up to him.

"Good morning, Dr. Reid" she said. Spencer scowled.

"Why do you always call me 'Dr. Reid'?" He asked. Sadie shrugged.

"I'm not sure. Probably force of habit." She concluded. Spencer's scowl dialed down into a small frown.

"I'd prefer you call me Spencer" he said. Sadie nodded.

"Alright, Spencer" she said, "Are you going to have your double espresso now?" She asked, teasingly. Spencer nodded.

"One double espresso and one chocolate frappuccino" she ordered. Spencer wondered if the woman ever drank the same drink twice. But seeing as she'd been here everyday for the past year made him realise she probably had had everything at least four times.

"Please stop dazing out" Sadie said, making Spencer smile apologetically at her.

"If you didn't want to be with me, you shouldn't have asked me out" she added. Spencer shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Sadie" Spencer said, "I didn't mean to get lost in my thoughts. I was just thinking if you ever had the same coffee twice and then got side-tracked calculating the items on the menu and the number of days I've seen you here and coming to the conclusion that you must've had each item at least four times, if not more. I am truly sorry for ignoring you like that while I went off into my own world." He rambled in a single breath.  
>Sadie stared at him. Then, the woman behind the counter called out their order. Sadie turned to her and took the two cups and turned to Spencer.<p>

"This one's yours', Spencer" she said, handing him his cup. Spencer still looked at her with pursed lips. Sadie smiled a little.

"It's ok. I forgive you. Just don't do it anymore." She warned, "If you want to know something, just ask." She suggested. Spencer nodded.

"I'll keep that in mind" he said, "Shall we leave?" He enquired. Sadie nodded and lead him out the shop. Spencer hailed for a cab. Sadie blew on her frappucino. When a taxi stopped, Spencer opened the door for her to get in.

"Thank you" she said, smiling and Spencer ran around to the other side to get in.

"National Museum of Natural History, please" Spencer informed the driver and sat back. It would take them at least 20 minutes to get there.

"So" Sadie started, "what exactly are you a doctor of?" She asked. Spencer grinned.

"I have doctoral degrees in mathematics, chemistry and engineering. As well as bachelor degrees in psychology and sociology. I'm currently working on my bachelor in philosophy over at Georgetown University." He rambled. Sadie looked impressed.

"Are you like a genius, or something?" She asked, sounding impressed.

"My IQ is 184 and I have an eidetic memory, so I suppose it does make me a type of genius. I have been called that often though, but I'd never really given it much thought." He finished. Sadie looked impressed.

"I've only ever heard about an eidetic memory. Hadn't met anyone like that before. It's an honour, Dr. Reid" she said, grinning. Spencer smiled at her.

"My turn to ask the questions?" He asked, in return. Sadie sipped her coffee.

"Ask away" she offered.

"How long have you been here? In the States?" He asked gently.

Sadie frowned and pouted.

"I came here in April last year, so roughly 15 months" she concluded, "Nolan, my brother, he said a change of scenery could help with my writer's block and, here I came, not a week later, without a second thought" she reminisced. Spencer pressed his lips together.

"Writer's block?" He enquired, slowly, tentatively. Sadie looked up.

"I was in the process of starting my second book before I came here. My editor was harassing me about it before..." she trailed off. Spencer knew what she meant. Before the circumstances changed and her brother died. The taxi came to a halt. Sadie looked at the meter and opened her wallet.

"I've got it." Spencer said. Sadie scowled.

"No, wait, here" she said to the driver. The driver looked at Spencer, who was still finding the bills in his wallet.

"Take it" she told the driver firmly, and he did. Spencer scowled.

"Sadie, I said I'd pay" Spencer said, following her out the cab. Sadie was tossing her cup in the bin when he stepped out.

"It's alright. You can get the next one" she said. Spencer looked unconvinced.

"So, what exactly are we here for?" Sadie asked looking around the park they were walking through to get to the museum.

"I just wanted to spend time with you." Spencer admitted,"there is a display of turn-of-the-century artifacts in the museum, if you don't mind walking through it while we talk a bit more?" He rambled. Sadie stopped and looked at him with wide, surprised eyes.

"So, I would be right in presuming, that you're interested in me?" She said, sounding surprised as she came to a halt. Spencer stopped and looked at her.

"Of course" he agreed, "is that so strange?" He wondered aloud, for Sadie was a thing of beauty to look at. She must've been asked out by all kinds of men in her life. Sadie coloured red in her cheeks.

"I suppose it isn't strange" she agreed softly, "It's my first time out with someone Nolan doesn't know or hasn't met. I guess I ought to be prepared for more events like this in the future. I mean, it's not like I can keep clinging to Nolan's friends for all human interaction for the rest of my life." She rambled until she ran out of breath.

Spencer looked at her with surprise. He hadn't expected her to break into a monologue so suddenly. Especially about her recently deceased brother.

"Were all your previous dates, friends with your brother?" Spencer enquired. Sadie looked up.

"Is this a date? A proper date?" She asked with wide eyes.

"I'd like to think so" Spencer admitted. Sadie bit her lower lip.

"A real date" she mumbled to herself, "I've never been on one of those" she admitted.

Spencer wondered what kind of person who saw Sadie wouldn't eventually ask her out on a date, or for her to be the mother of his children and for her hand in marriage? Sadie's dark hair had natural curls that fell in her face and framed her delicate features. Her green eyes, when she looked at you, felt like she was showing you her soul and the smile he'd seen on her occasionally was something that made you feel light in your chest. Overall, despite her trying to make herself appear plain and unkempt, Sadie was an appealing woman and Spencer had been certain, until her previous reaction, she'd had more experience than him when it came to courtship.

"Is it strange that I'm 24 and have never been on a real date before?" Sadie enquired Spencer was uncertain in which way he might answer so it sounds good. While he contemplated this, Sadie stared at him from behind her eyelashes as her head hung low. Spencer opened his mouth to dispute her claims of peculiarity when they both heard the radio announcement of a lost child.

"Shall we go in?" Spencer said instead and decided to listen to Morgan's advice, especially since he'd asked for it.

"The day is about her: if she wants to go left, you go left. If she wants to take a break, you take a break. If she finds museums a boring place, you suggest to go to a place she'd like to visit. And finally, when you drop her off, don't hang around for a good night kiss, or anthing like that. It's only the second date, and you are not the kind of man who does things like that on a second date, isn't that right?"

Spencer turned to Sadie, who was looking at the articles with barely a glance.

"Sadie" he called, making her turn to him, "you do like museums, don't you?" He inquired. Sadie looked at him.

"Of course" she said, "they're the only place other than a library to maintain silence while learning. And the historical articles are such a wonder to see, isn't it?" She rambled.

Spencer was relieved. At least he'd not forced his idea of a good time onto her. He walked beside her as she took a pamphlet at the counter and handed another to him. He accepted it with thanks.

"Is there anything in particular you want to see?" He inquired as she looked through the pamphlet.

"The photography section?" She said uncertainly. Spencer looked at her curiously.

"I want to see that famous photo of the end of the second world war taken in Times Square" she added.

"Oh, sure" he agreed and lead the way.

Over the next few hours, the two had walked through the museum, talked about Spencer's childhood and his job in the FBI. When Sadie suggested lunch, Spencer was more than happy to lead her to the cafeteria for a quick bite, as she'd described it.

"What about you, Sadie?" He asked, as they sat down with their burgers, "How was it growing up in the UK?"  
>Sadie looked at her burger for a moment, then she looked up.<p>

"Even though I sound like this, I'm Irish" she said, "I was born in Northern Ireland, which is technically part of UK, but I'm Irish" she said.

"I see" he said, "The land of the leprechaun, huh?" He said, in a poor attempt to make a joke. Sadie smiled, nonetheless.

"Yeah, and of George Bernard Shaw, George Orwell and James Joyce" she offered. Spencer smiled in response.

"It must've been a haven for a writer to grow up in" he said, additionally.

"I suppose it must have" she mumbled.

Spencer frowned. Had he somehow offended her? Or worse?

"Is everything alright?" He asked softly. Sadie looked up at him.

"Yup" she said, forcing a smile, "I was just thinking about the past." She admitted.

"I'm sorry for bringing him up again" Spencer said apologetically, "it was not my intention to remind you of your recent loss." He admitted. Sadie frowned at him a little.

"I'm sorry" she said, "but it wasn't my brother I was thinking of" she admitted, "it was my father"

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><p>Ooh! A Cliff-hanger!<p>

Next chapter is written and awaiting proof-reading! It'll be up soon!

Reviews are love, even if they're flames.(But not too many flames, ok? I'm an air sign.)


	5. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you for the reviews! Such amazing people you are! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, so much!

Disclaimer: Content may be too mature for some younger viewers! Please use your own powers of discretion!

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><p>CHAPTER FOUR<p>

DIRTY BOOKSHELVES

Spencer stared at Sadie as the latter picked at her burger. Somehow, it looked as though she didn't care as much about it anymore. She had been rather enthusiastic when picking it out, so Spencer knew he'd hit a cord when he'd unintentionally brought up her father. Absently wondering if she was in any state to continue with their date, Spencer stood up, making Sadie look up at him,

"Do you want something to drink?" he asked politely, "I'm getting a sprite and some more fries. Apparently, you can't have enough fries" he stated. Sadie half-smiled.

"A coke please" she said, "If you don't mind" she added as he nodded and made his way towards the counter.

Spencer glanced back at their table, where Sadie sat, not really looking like the person she had been earlier that day. Spencer pulled out his phone and dialled Morgan's number, which was, luckily, on speed-dial.

"Hello, pretty boy! How's it going?" Morgan answered when he picked the phone.

"Morgan, I need your help" Spencer confided quickly and quietly, then went on to explain to him the events that had occured since the morning. Once he was done, he waited for an answer, or some advice from his good friend.

"What do I do?" Spencer asked, when Morgan remained quiet. Morgan sighed on the other side of the line.

"This sort of thing isn't in the handbook, kid" Morgan admitted, sighing loudly, "I suppose what you do is be supportive, ask if she's fine, if she wants to go somewhere else to feel better, and if there's anything you could do to make her feel better" he offered. Spencer pressed his lips together as the woman behind the counter handed him the food tray.

"Ok, thanks, Morgan, I'll do that" he said, decidedly, then hung up and took the tray, before heading back to his table. He put the tray down and pulled out his chair to sit, the words ready in his mind to speak, once he had. Instead, he noticed Sadie stand up.

"I'm awfully sorry" she mumbled, "I just need to leave now. I can't do this at the moment" she spoke fast, her accent getting the better of her as she rushed to pick up her coat and her bag. Then, with a slight nod in Spencer's direction and with no eye-contact whatsoever, she hurried out the building, Spencer's stunned eyes following her movement as he stood at his table, half crouched with his hand pulling out his chair. Spencer remained frozen by her sudden departure, without so much as a reassuring glance in his direction, which troubled him terribly. When his senses returned, Spencer sat down, staring at their half-eaten meal, the extra order of fries and their drinks untouched on the table. Suddenly, he came to the realisation that going out with Sadie, who seemed to have similar interests as him, was going to be an uphill climb, with plenty of falling boulders being tossed from the top. As he came to this conclusion, he stood, leaving the untouched food, but picking up the Sprite and Coke, and went out the building. He decided he'd tell Morgan what had happened. Morgan was a better profiler than him, after all, especially when it came to women. With the sprite half-drunk and the coke still full in his hands, he managed to call Morgan and tell him how his date had ended. Morgan was curious as to the expression Sadie had been wearing when she'd left him abruptly.

"The expression?" Spencer repeated, frowning slightly.

"Did she look spooked? Or pale, or frigid?" Morgan asked, "Was she stable enough to be left on her own, Reid?" Morgan asked sharply. Spencer stopped and thought back. Sadie's hair was all over her face. She was frowning, when she got up. She wasn't pale, seemed just angry. Her eyes were tear-filled, though none of them had slipped from her eyelids, and her lips were red, as if she'd chewed on them repeatedly. When she picked her stuff, her hands weren't trembling, rather they were purposeful and she picked up her things with ease. Her eyes were downcast throughout the ordeal, except when she glanced towards his general direction, before stopping herself from looking up at his eyes, then fleeing the scene.

"She didn't look unstable" Spencer confirmed, "Just deeply upset and hurt"

"Are you sure?" Morgan asked, his voice steely. Spencer scowled.

"Of course" he said adamantly, "I think we can leave her be for a while now"  
>Morgan sighed.<p>

"Ok" he agreed, "You head home too. I'll see you in the morning" he added. Spencer responded wordlessly before the call ended. Then, Spencer finished the rest of the sprite and tossed the can in a nearby bin.

Contemplating whether to hail a taxi, or take the bus, Spencer walked down the familiar road until he stopped at D.C's biggest book-store, or so it claimed to be. Frowning and wondering if they would have a copy of Sadie's book, he stepped in and scanned through half the bookshelves, going over his favourite titles until he stopped at one he'd read several years ago, on suggestion of his mentor, The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho. The book itself had been in print since the 80's, but Spencer had found it endearing and very powerful for someone who was down in the slumps. He picked it up off the shelf, knowing exactly who needed that sort of inspiration at the moment. Then, he found one of the staff and asked if they had a book by Sadie O'Connell. The young man, who looked no older than Spencer himself, nodded and lead him to the aisle where the book was.

"It's a good book" the man suggested, "I mean, if you like that sort of dark, unreal tales" he added. Spencer nodded and thanked him. Picking up the book, he read the title and saw the cover art, which was a sketched drawing of a bookshelf beside an open window. An empty, filthy bookshelf that was gloomy all the more because the weather outside the window seemed to be in stark contrast. The title reflected what he saw in the picture, "Dirty Bookshelves." Spencer made his way to the counter and paid for both books, before making his way home. He stared at the photograph of Sadie on the back, in which she was smiling a little, her hair had been brushed and kept out of her face and her green eyes seemed to sparkle like emeralds. Spencer stopped himself, twice, from opening her book right there and reading it. He knew it would be too dark for public reading and he knew he wouldn't be able to stop himself from trying to find Sadie right at that moment after he read it.

"Garcia did say it was based on her childhood" he mumbled to himself as he finally exited the taxi and took the elevator to his apartment on the fifth floor. Spencer hung up his coat, put down his bag and kicked off his shoes before settling down in the arm-chair and opening the book.

The stories he read were all seemingly unrelated. In fact, the description on the outside claimed it to be a collection of short-stories, rather than a novella. There were 12 such stories. Each story was numbered with an age, possibly the age Sadie had been when the story had occured. He read of her experiences as a child: abandoned by her mother at three, her older brother at five and abused by her father until she was twelve. Although he never read an account of any sort of abuse, he felt it in the undertones. Sentences like, 'it's best if I don't write of all the things he may or may not have done. After all, nothing I do will erase or modify them' were a dead give-away. Instead, he focused about the few precise memories she'd recorded. Such as, the day her brother had finally rescued her from the clutches of her dad, and when she had been treated as a feral child by her psychiatrist and the team of doctors working on her health. She gave vivid descriptions of all her experiences and painted a rather colourful picture. However, what made him stop reading was chapter eleven. It had started innocently enough with, 'It had started to snow, even though it was only the start of Winter.' However, when he realised that her father, if the man could be called that, had beaten her and slammed her against the dirty bookshelf, just because she'd plucked up the courage to ask if she could borrow a book from the library, or from the school, he realised that he needed to keep her thoughts from wandering to those sort. He stood, searching for his cellphone, before he found it in his pocket and dialled her, now familiar, number. The phone rang out without reply. She hadn't registered for voice messages, he noted as it ended abruptly. Then, he dialled again, but to no avail. After a few more attempted calls, he half-hoped he could find Garcia to locate her using her cellphone, as he pulled on his jacket and picked up his keys, bag and the books he'd bought that day. Sadie answered the phone at that moment.

"Hello?" she said, sounding like she'd been sleeping.

"Sadie?" he said urgently, "It's Spencer" he said. He didn't hear anything in response.

"Spencer" she repeated, "right" she mumbled, still groggy, "Why are you calling?" she asked, sounding utterly confused. Spencer sighed with relief. She had been sleeping, not doing anything else.

"I was just checking up on you" he admitted truthfully, "You looked a bit upset when you ran away during lunch and I was worried that something might happen, or you might be too depressed or something" he rambled.

"I'm fine" she admitted, yawning, "Can I talk to you later, though? I'm pretty busted" she admitted.

"Can I bring you dinner, or something?" he offered, "I could get take-out, whatever you feel like having? I'll bring it by your place, so you can eat and have an early night and get it out of your system" he rambled again.

"Ok, sure" she mumbled, "It's flat 110, 45, Lexington avenue, just behind the starbucks" she said, yawning four times during the course, "Bring pizza" she added, "And coke. Lots of coke"

"Ok, I'll see you there, say 6?" he asked, nodding at her willingness.

"Yup, later" she mumbled, before hanging up. Spencer sighed with relief. He had no idea his heart had been racing or that he'd been breathing heavy. Just hearing her voice had reassured him that she was alright. Sighing with relief, he sank to the floor, suddenly depleted of all his energy. He looked at the book again, and wondered, if she had had any more incidents such as the one with the dirty bookshelves. Spencer sighed heavily as he felt the strength returning to his legs again and he trusted himself to stand.

He stood up, took off his jacket again and hung it up. It was already half past four. He sat down again, resting his mind of the turmoil she had caused, then, twenty minutes later, he stood and wondered what sort of pizza she'd like as he picked up his bag and went out the door, his jacket in hand.

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><p>As always, reviews are love!<p> 


	6. Chapter 5

Note: Thanks to all the readers! Special thanks to reviewers! You have my love! Enjoy this new chapter!

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><p>CHAPTER FIVE<p>

COKE AND PIZZA

Spencer arrived outside her apartment complex at 6. The building looked unremarkable from the outside, and he stepped in and took the stairs to the first floor, where 110 was, and rang the doorbell. After muffled sounds of shuffling around, the door opened and Sadie, who was now dressed in an over-sized t-shirt and a pair of pajama pants, her hair in a loose braid sitting on her shoulder, opened the door with her eyelids still drooping.

"Hi" he said, staring at her curiously, and wondering if she understood the concept of a dinner together.

"Hello" she mumbled, "Come in" she added, opening the door further to let him in. Spencer went in and Sadie closed the door behind him and pointed towards the kitchen.

"Through there" she offered, "I'll go wash my face" she added, retreating to her right.

Spencer noticed the apartment looked a lot like something out of a magazine, cool looking couch, a pair of laZboys facing the large plasma TV, a large bay window allowing the lights of DC to flood in, lined by a small sitting area. One of the laZboys had a blanket, a pillow and stuffed rabbit sitting on it, meaning it was currently being used as a bed. To his left, where Sadie had pointed, was the open kitchen/dining area, which looked like one on a TV cooking show, all plywood cabinets, an awesome grill/stove/oven, a counter to eat lined by tall bar stools. Spencer put down the bags of the variety of pizzas he'd bought and the three large containers of coke on the counter. He put the coke in the fridge to chill, while he searched for plates. He'd all but found the forks when Sadie walked in, still dressed the same lazy way, but with eyes fully open and suddenly wide awake,

"Hello" she said again, "Sorry about lunch" she added, making her way around the counter to pull out plates from the drawer and ketchup from the cabinets.

"It's alright" Spencer replied as he pulled out the five varieties of pizza he'd brought, "How are you? Are you alright?" he asked. Sadie shrugged and noticed the five boxes.

"Why'd you bring so many?" she asked.

"Well, I didn't know what you liked, so covered all the basics" he explained, "This is the classic pepperoni, this is chicken tandoori with onion, this is a vegetarian blast with olives, jalapenos, mushrooms, peppers, this is the all-time favourite, double cheese and lastly, spicy Mexican flavours on a pizza base" he rambled, while pointing to each.

Sadie smiled a little as she picked a slice of the double cheese and another of the veggie blast and put it on her plate.

"Do you drink?" she asked. Spencer looked at her surprised as he put his pepperoni slice on his plate and turned towards her. She'd found the coke and was pulling out two rather large cups to pour them into.

"Sure, coke, I do" he replied. Sadie half-laughed, half-snorted.

"I meant alcohol" she corrected, "Do you want me to open a bottle of wine, or whisky or vodka for you?" she asked. Spencer shook his head.

"Not today, thanks" he replied, "I'm just a red wine sort of person, once a week, really" he added. Sadie nodded as she picked up her plate and glass and gestured towards the living room.

"Can't we sit here?" Spencer asked, nodding to the counter. Sadie stopped.

"Uh, sure" she said, "Don't you want to watch the tele, though? I thought you Americans did that?" she said, almost teasingly, grinning. Spencer sat on the stool beside her and looked at her.

"Well, I'd rather just sit with you" he claimed, "I just want to give you company"

Sadie smiled a little and bumped her shoulder against his playfully.

"Thank you, Spencer" she admitted, picking up a slice of pizza and biting into it.

"Why pizza?" Spencer asked as Sadie reached for another slice and put one in Spencer's plate too.

"Well, Nolan and I, we love pizza and he taught me that if you have pizza and coke, everything in the world becomes better" she said, downing her glass of coke as if to prove her point, then, got up to get herself a refill.

"Does it work?" Spencer asked. Sadie grinned.

"Well, if I pass out from a caffeine coma, just remember, I'm allergic to penicillins, cephalosporins, and oxicams" she said, drinking more coke.

Spencer watched as Sadie ate a few more slices of pizza, while downing another glass of coke. When she finished her last slice, she sipped her coke and turned to him. He was still on his fourth slice and first glass of coke.

"Did you think I was spiraling into depression and suicide?" she asked, as he was drinking, making him choke on it. He coughed loudly, and she watched him, not really doing anything, except reaching for a glass to get him some water. He downed it and his cough subsided, though, he still felt the prickly sensation in his throat from the coke going down his windpipe.

"I suppose a part of me did find that to be a possibility" he admitted, "But then, I knew that I ought to trust you more than that because you aren't weak and fragile and you do have courage to face your problems, rather than run away. I mean, it only made sense you would want to be by yourself as you thought of sad and terrible memories that make you wish your brother had been decent enough to take you away when he'd left too" he rambled. Sadie stared at him.

"You read my book" she concluded, "Didn't you?" she asked, eyes narrowing accusingly. Spencer suddenly felt guilty about doing so, especially since he'd gone out of his way to find it and read it so he could have an idea of her past.

"I sincerely apologise for going behind your back like that to read it" he admitted, "But I had to know what it was that caused you to become so afraid of being out in the open, of talking about that man and I needed to know what you'd do in such a situation. Reading your book and getting a first-hand account made me realise that your past is far more turbulent than your book lets on and I'm sure no one's realised it because there isn't anything in the book that points to it"

"What makes you believe that?" she asked, sipping her coke again. Spencer took out her book from his bag, that had been lying on the counter next to his coke. Sadie's eyes widened comically.

"I had spare copies if you wanted one" she admitted, "You just had to ask, you could've got it free of cost, and with an autograph too" she said, cracking a feeble attempt at a grin.

"Your words throughout the book scream that there's more" he said, then proceeded to read out at least ten such statements in the first chapter alone. Sadie held up her hands in defeat.

"You're right" she admitted, her hands raised in defeat, her eyes looking down and finding her toes rather interesting, "There's a lot more"

Spencer put his hand on hers' on the counter and entwined their fingers together.

"Tell me" he coerced, "I'll listen" he offered. Sadie smiled sadly at him as her fingers tightened around his.

"Maybe some other day?" she said, "right now, I just want to sit here, with you" she admitted. Spencer obliged and they sat there, at the counter, their stools turned so they faced each other and his left hand was entangled with her right on the counter-top. The plates and glasses and pizza lay forgotten on the counter as they sat there, not saying anything, just enjoying each other's company.

"Well, pizza and coke do help" Spencer admitted quietly, after a while, making her smile.

"Yes" she agreed, "Thank you, for dinner" she said, standing up, and leaning forward to peck him on his cheek softly. Spencer froze as she did, and then, she disentangled her fingers from his grip and began cleaning up.

"Do you want to take the pepperoni home?" Sadie asked, "Or any other?" she inquired.

Spencer stood and walked around the counter to where Sadie was standing. Between them, they'd eaten half of every pizza, which meant half was still left.

"Shall we divide and conquer?" Spencer suggested. Sadie nodded and cut up the remaining slices in half and put them all in two boxes for Spencer to take up. Spencer finished his coke and helped wash the plate, while Sadie poured herself another glass of coke while she put the left-overs in the fridge.

"I guess I'm having pizza for breakfast too" she said, sounding incredibly pleased with that prospect, at least her smile said so. Spencer watched her drink the rest of coke relatively slowly. He wanted to say a thousand things to her regarding the coke and her habits of drinking them. Instead, he pulled out the book he'd bought for her and handed it to her. Sadie looked at him curiously.

"I'm sure you must have read this before" he started, "But when I saw it on the shelf, I thought of you and I figured you could use this book during a time like this" he rambled. Sadie put down her glass and looked at him with wide-eyed disbelief. Her green eyes sparkled as she looked at the book. Her hands reached forward gently and took it from his hand. She opened the book and put her nose in it, smelling the unique scent of machine oil and printing ink. Then, pulling away, she smiled at him genuinely, the kind he'd never seen before.

"Thank you, Spencer" she said, "This means a lot to me" she admitted, her eyes wide, honest and shimmering with surprise, happiness and delight. Spencer felt himself blush slightly at her honesty. He shrugged and smiled back.

"I'm glad I could be of help" he said. Sadie's smile had never seemed so bright before, Spencer noted. Then again, she didn't have a reason before.

"I should get going" Spencer admitted, "I have work in the morning" he added, picking up his bag and jacket. Sadie hugged her book as she followed him.

"Shall I see you in Starbucks for coffee?" she inquired. Spencer nodded.

"My treat" she promised. Spencer nodded again.

"If you have anything to talk about, literally, anything" he said, "Call me, at any time. You're not going to be a bother"

"Spencer?" Sadie said uncertainly, as she stood at the door to see him off. He stared at her.

"Do you want to go out?" she asked, "With me?"

Spencer stood still for a moment.

"Yes, I do" he admitted, "Are you ready, for that sort of thing?" he asked, bending down to her eye-level. Sadie stole her eyes from him and looked around the floor, her hands still clutching _The Alchemist_ tight to her chest.

"I don't know" she admitted, "I doubt I'd be good at it" she claimed, "But if that's ok with you, I wouldn't mind, going out, if it's with you" she said, agreeing in a rather round about sort of way. Spencer smiled at her.

"I would be honoured" he said seriously, looking her in the eye, "if you chose me to be your boyfriend"

Sadie blushed dark when he said that to her, making him smile.

"And I will do all I can to be a good girlfriend" she responded, looking up at him seriously. Spencer nodded.

"Ok, see you tomorrow" he said, turning to leave.

"Good night" she called after him as he walked into the corridor, holding the pizza leftovers in one hand and his bag in the other.

Spencer noticed that Sadie had shut the door before he'd hopped onto the elevator and he wondered if she would be alright. He walked towards home feeling good about himself, so much so, he called Morgan to inform him of the progress he'd made that evening. Morgan was very encouraging, but also warned him not to scare her off, '...if she's serious about never having been on a date before, it makes you her first ever experience. So, whatever you do, don't be a dick. She's the shy type, I can tell, but, don't do anything that'll scare her off for good. You know?'

Spencer knew.

He also knew Sadie barely knew anyone else in the whole country, let alone the city. In fact, she had only mentioned her brother's friends and no one else. Who knew how many 'friends' referred to. Could be two, perhaps three. It couldn't possibly be more than that.

Reminding himself to tell Sadie about the health risks of coke the next day, Spencer arrived home and then, he went to bed, too exhausted to do anything else.

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><p>Well, how do you like it? Is it too OOC? Let me know by clicking the review button and typing a few words. It doesn't take long, I assure you.<p> 


	7. Chapter 5 point 1

Now begins a series of shorts that are written in Sadie's Point of view. Not particularly important to the story line, though. The next "real" chapter comes after 5.9. Sorry, busy with exams for the time being. Hope you enjoy it!

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><p>Chapter 5.1<p>

Sadie's contemplation

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><p>Sadie watched as Spencer took the elevator. The moment he'd stepped in, she shut the door quietly and locked it. She turned and looked at the large bay window and made her way to the universal remote. With the press of a few buttons, she was able to dim the lights of the room, as well as shut the drapes of the window.<p>

Then, with only the dim blue glow of the glow strip along the corridor, Sadie went to the study, which Nolan had converted into a bedroom for her, with a comfy bed he'd bought soon after she'd arrived. A part of her wondered if he had hoped for her to stay in the States. Sadie sat down on the armchair, staring down at the book she'd received that evening. _The Alchemist_ was one of her favourite books, obviously. She hadn't expected anything from Spencer, although now, she wondered if she ought to return the favour. Skimming through the pages, Sadie found the chapter she had enjoyed the most: where the boy transforms himself into the wind. She read the chapter, enjoying it as much as had the first time she'd read it. It brought a smile to her face that something as small as a book could have such an effect on her. Then, she looked up at the picture she'd placed on the side-table.

A picture of Nolan and her during her therapy days back in Ireland. She looked terrible, of course, much like a feral child she'd been called. But, Nolan looked as proud, as brilliant and as kind as he always was in real life. It soothed her, having him look at her like that, even if it was only through the picture frame. Somehow, finishing the chapter made her feel better. As if her life, that had been put on pause after Nolan's death, had finally started moving forward.

Putting the book down, Sadie stood and picked up the copy of _Nine Stories_ that was on her bed. She let out a breath as she sat back down and opened _For Esme, with Love and Squalor_, the chapter she'd stopped at abruptly when she'd been informed of her brother's untimely death. Sighing again, rather loudly, Sadie read the chapter and the next, and then, when she'd finished, she closed the book, thought of Nolan's proud smile when he saw she'd finished the book he'd given her and felt her heart slow down and relax. Her eyes rested again on Nolan's picture and she smiled at it.

"I'm done, brother" she said, speaking softly.

Then, she stood and after seven months, put the book back on the shelf. Then, Sadie looked at the new copy of The Alchemist and picked it up, smelling the scent of machinery oil and printing ink again, as she made her way back to the laZboy that was her temporary bed, sat down and pulling the blanket on top of her, reclined and fell asleep, one hand clutching the stuffed rabbit, as if for dear life, the other holding the book, now closed.

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><p>Reviews are love!<p> 


	8. Chapter 5 point 2

Another extra/side-story, if you will. Written in Sadie's POV, mostly(but in third person.) I hope you enjoy it!

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><p>Chapter 5.2<p>

Forks

Sadie stared at Spencer, who was sitting in the coffee shop opposite her, reading his book seriously. When he had a book he wanted to read, he really went all-in, she'd noticed. Instead of the book in her lap, half-done, Sadie focused on him. His dark blonde hair had natural curls in them, which were very cute when they fell in his face and eyes and his lips always seemed to press together into a thin line when he was doing something seriously. Sadie picked up her frappe and sipped it, not quite enjoying the flavour as much as she'd hoped. Perhaps, it was time to stick to one drink that she did like, she mused absently.  
>"Something wrong?" Spencer asked, looking up at her. Sadie shook her head, throwing him a smile.<br>"No" she admitted honestly, "Just admiring the view" she added, grinning. Spencer smiled back.  
>"Would you rather go back home for lunch?" he inquired, sounding hopeful, or so she liked to believe. Sadie nodded.<br>"Shall I make you something?" she asked, "Pasta, pasta, pasta" she inquired. He smiled, knowing full-well that it was the only thing she knew how to cook well enough to offer to others.  
>"Pasta sounds good" he admitted, "Let's just get take-out. There's this Chinese restaurant in that alleyway that supposedly has the best mandarin rice in all the state. Although considering that it was the owner that put it up, I wonder if there's any truth to the matter. If you don't mind testing a theory I suppose we could get Chinese takeout, but if not, we could still get Chinese stakeout from some other place that's hopefully more modest than this one" he rambled. Sadie smiled at him as he went on and on. She enjoyed listening to his rants.<br>"So, let's test that theory, shall we?" she suggested. Spencer nodded. Sadie finished the last of her frappe and stood, closing her book.  
>"Are you seriously reading Lemony Snicket?" Spencer asked, "It's a children's book" he added, then stopped when Sadie frowned at him slightly, daring him to continue.<br>"It's pretty good" he added quickly.  
>"It's very funny" she said, "I haven't read funny in a long time" she added, putting the Slippery Slope into her bag.<br>"It is funny" he agreed, "Also a bit dark. A really good read"  
>Sadie glanced at him and shook her head.<br>"Don't force yourself" she said, "I can handle it. It's funny, isn't it? A grown woman reading A Series of Unfortunate Events. Go on, laugh if you want" she prodded, elbowing him in the sides gently. Spencer smiled.  
>"It's funny" he admitted, "Not that funny. Just, cute-funny" he said.<br>Sadie wondered why it was that all descriptions in America had to have the word "cute" in them. It was as if they lacked words that were archaic and beautiful to listen and speak. Cute, she thought, was a rather lazy word.  
>"Alright, don't admit it" she said, teasing him as they stopped in front of the restaurant.<br>"I'll be back" Spencer offered, "Anything particular you'd like?" he asked. Sadie shrugged.  
>"Tofu?" she said, uncertainly, "Do they make that here?" she added, more to herself, as she stepped back and looked at the sign.<br>"I'll see what I can find" Spencer replied, going in. Sadie stood outside, half-frowning, half-pouting at how he'd become such a big part of her life, especially so fast. Spencer returned with the bag in his hand.  
>"Do you want something to drink?" he asked as they walked towards her flat. Sadie shrugged.<br>"I still have two bottles of Coke from the time you brought them over" she admitted, "What about you?" she asked, "Anything particular you want to drink?"  
>Spencer shrugged.<br>"I prefer Sprite to Coke" he admitted, "But I don't mind" he added. Sadie stopped outside a convenience store.  
>"I'll be back in a jiff" she claimed, leaving Spencer outside and going in. She picked up a large bottle of Sprite, a box of pretzels and a box of easy-bake cookies that looked easy enough to make. She paid, then picked up the bag and stepped out, smiling at the confused expression on Spencer's face.<br>"What?" she asked, as they resumed walking. Spencer shrugged.  
>"I was wondering where you'd gone off so suddenly" he admitted, "You just disappeared for a moment there" he admitted. Sadie smiled at his description, but remained quiet. When they arrived at her flat, Spencer stepped towards the kitchen, where he unpacked the boxes and looked for the plates. Sadie watched him, rather enjoying his precise movements and purposive actions. He was even nice enough to offer her a portion of all that he'd bought. Sadie shook her head when she heard something she didn't like, and nodded to that which she did. In exchange, she found them some forks and poured him a glass of Sprite, while pouring herself a glass of coke.<br>"Shall we eat?" he asked, sitting at the kitchen counter. Sadie joined him, with the forks and glasses, sitting down beside him and handing him the chopsticks.  
>"I can't work with chopsticks" he admitted. Sadie frowned at him.<br>"You're a genius with an IQ of 186, with several masters, and you can't work chopsticks?" Sadie asked him, sounding utterly shocked. Spencer coloured a little.  
>"I lack the co-ordination required for the task" he admitted in a small voice. Sadie smiled a little at him, a bit amused, but more than that, glad, that Spencer was more human than he seemed at first glance.<br>"It's appalling, I know" Spencer said, sighing, loudly, as Sadie handed him a fork.  
>"Uh, no" she stuttered, then cleared her throat when he voice cracked a bit, "It's more endearing" she admitted, "Makes you seem more human" she added, smiling a little. Spencer scowled at her.<br>"Makes me seem more human?" Spencer repeated, sounding slightly offended. Sadie frowned a little.  
>"Because most of the time, you seem so surreal, like a super-human mutant of the sorts" she explained, fidgeting with her chopsticks, "And this sort of brings you to human-level?" she said, uncertainly, still frowning, but now red in the cheeks with embarrassment. Sadie suddenly wondered why it was so difficult to speak, when it was just as easy to write. Despite her flailing, Spencer seemed less offended and more surprised by her reply.<br>"Is that how you thought of me till now?" he asked, "A super-human mutant?"  
>Sadie glanced up at him before stealing her eyes. Then, she shrugged slightly.<br>"It wasn't just novels I read while growing up" she admitted, "Nolan was a huge comic-geek"  
>Spencer laughed at her reply, making Sadie look up at him, more bravely than before. Then, as moments flew by, Sadie felt herself smiling. He was incompetent with his chopsticks, and she with the spoken word, and that was alright with them both.<p>

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><p>Review please! I want to know what you know!(or something like that!)<p> 


	9. Chapter 5 point 3

Note: For those wondering what these mini-chapters are about: it's basically Sadie's point of view and fillers until Chapter six, which will be dark-themed. That was sort of a spoiler. My bad. But, you need to know. Just enjoy these before the story goes dark. That's my suggestion.

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 5.3<strong>

Meet the family; or something similar

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><p>It was Wednesday afternoon, in the middle of her scribbling down notes for her new book, that her mobile phone rang. Sadie didn't cuss. She didn't quite like that. Instead, she reached for it and picked it up.<p>

"Hello, Sadie?" Spencer's voice came through, surprising her.

"Hello, Spencer" she answered, "Is something wrong?"

Of course, the fact that he's called in the middle of the day just has to imply that something was, in fact, wrong. Very, very wrong, as she'd soon find out. At the moment, however, she was rather glad that he'd called.

"No, it's not that" he answered, sounding fidgety, "I was wondering if you're free this evening?" he asked.

Sadie frowned. Again, she should've realised that something was wrong. After all, the plans they usually made were 'There's a play I wanted to see with you', or 'A new restaurant opened up near my place, let's go check it out' and never 'are you free this evening?'

"Yeah, I suppose" she shrugged, still feeling giddy that he'd called her, the smile frozen permanently on her face.

"Can we meet at the coffee-shop at say five?" he asked. Sadie shrugged again.

"Alright, I'll see you then" she said, then hung up, her face pulled into a wider smile and the blood rushing to her face.

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><p>When Sadie skipped towards the coffee shop, the sight of the back of Spencer's head waiting for her at their table, made her grin. However, she stopped short when she noticed that he wasn't alone, he was in the company of a pretty blonde woman, who was grinning brightly at him and a tall dark man, who was trying very hard to suppress his grin as well. Sadie frowned. She knew Spencer had friends such as them, going by his elaborate descriptions. She stopped completely, wondering why he wouldn't give her a heads-up about something like that. She wasn't ready to meet his friends yet. What if they didn't like her? What if they thought she was too strange and had quirky habits that would be a hassle to Spencer in the future? Did that mean she wanted a future with him? A future with Spencer? That didn't sound too bad. But was it what he wanted too? Sadie frowned again, this time deeper and paced on the side-walk, completely in her own thoughts, wonderings and musings. So much so, she didn't notice Spencer had walked out to greet her and give her a heads up.<p>

"Sadie?" Spencer said, making her freeze and turn to him guiltily.

"Spencer" she mumbled, forcing a smile, "Why are you out here?" she asked, curiously. Spencer frowned a little.

"I came to see why you were pacing out on the sidewalk instead of coming in" he said, uncertainly, "Why is your face red?" he asked, stepping close and inspecting her. Sadie froze as his eyes locked on hers' and she wondered why he was so dense when it came to emotions and personal space, and what the need was to inspect her from so close.

"I hyperventilated" she admitted, looking down and breaking eye-contact, "seeing as you invited your friends and forgot to tell me about it" she nodded towards the table. Spencer smiled apologetically, his lips pressed into a thin line, as if he were forcing it.

"They wanted to meet you" he admitted, "And I wanted you to meet them too" he added. Sadie sighed.

"Alright, I suppose" she said, shrugging, "Not like I have much choice now" she added, smiling. Spencer looked more apologetic.

"So, shall we go in?" he enquired brightly. Sadie bit her lower lip.

"Yeah, you go first, I'll follow" she said, nodding to the door. Spencer nodded and went in. Sadie followed close behind him, feeling better now that she could see him up close and knowing he was there in case she panicked.

"JJ, Morgan" he said, "Sadie O'Connell" he introduced. Sadie watched them from over Spencer's shoulders, by leaning up just enough so she made eye-contact.

"Hello" she muttered, uncertainly, stepping to the side so she saw them and, so they could see her as well.

"Hello, Sadie, I'm Jennifer Jareau" the woman said, standing up to shake hands. Sadie shook her hands, while trying a smile.

"Derek Morgan" the man offered, as Sadie shook as well.

"Shall we sit and order something to drink?" JJ suggested, smiling brightly. Sadie smiled slightly, sitting down beside Spencer, who looked pretty uncomfortable being there as well.

"Order?" the barista enquired, noticing the clean table.

Sadie glanced at Spencer as his friends ordered. He looked back, smiling encouragingly. Then, quite uncharacteristically, held out his hand for hers' under the table. Sadie smiled, slipping her hand into his and giving it a squeeze. He squeezed right back, which calmed her more than she'd thought it would.

"Sadie? Spence?" JJ asked, turning to them.

"Double espresso for me" Spencer answered, "And a double-chocolate macchiato for the lady" he said. Sadie wondered how he knew that would be her order, and made her surprise known by turning to him curiously.

"Wow, you two really just ignore the world" Derek Morgan offered. Sadie blushed dark, and looked down at her own lap.

"Morgan" Spencer said, his tone strangely firm.

"My bad" Morgan said, sitting back and half-laughing.

"So, Sadie, Spence tells me you're a writer?" JJ asked. Sadie looked up sharply, first at JJ, then at Spencer, almost accusingly.

"I've had one book published. It's just a collection of short stories" she admitted, cheeks still red, "I don't know if that counts for being a writer" she shrugged. JJ smiled.

"You're too modest, Sadie" Morgan said, looking at her seriously, "Spencer wouldn't praise anyone if he didn't think they were worth it" he added. Sadie felt herself blushing again.

"Thanks" she mumbled, "I suppose"

"Here, your drinks" the barista brought their tray of drinks.

"Thank you" Sadie said, glancing up at the familiar man, who smiled back at her kindly.

"No prob" he said, leaving them to their coffees.

"So" Sadie said, looking between JJ and Morgan, "You work with Spencer, right?" she asked.

"Yeah, has Spencer told you about that?" JJ asked, looking over to Spencer worriedly.

"Catching psychopaths, right?" Sadie said, glancing at Spencer, "Yeah, I've heard some of the stories" she admitted.

Soon, Morgan and JJ had found a lot of questions to shoot Sadie's way. Sadie managed to give them satisfactory responses, but the most important thing for her, was the encouraging squeeze of her hand that Spencer was holding onto and somehow, knowing he was right there was reassuring and she felt as if she could face a whole armada of such questions, if he were there, next to her, holding her hand.

* * *

><p>Then, after three cups of coffee on JJ and Morgan's part, the two left Sadie and Spencer to go home.<p>

"We hope we see you again soon, Sadie" JJ said, speaking for both of them, as she gave Sadie a quick hug good-bye.

"Yes, and I'm looking forward to meeting Henry soon too" Sadie said. Spencer had spoken about Henry so often, Sadie had come to like the little one even though she'd never met him.

"Yes, definitely" JJ agreed, grinning. Then, with a quick smile to Spencer, they both left and Sadie sank back into the chair, completely exhausted.

"You handled them well" Spencer complemented, sitting down and wrapping an arm around her chair reassuringly. Sadie leant her head on his shoulder and let out a heavy breath.

"Good Lord!" she exclaimed, "How can you work, with their intimidating stares fixed on you, everyday?" she asked, sounding tired. Spencer laughed.

"I think they were just being a bit mean since they like teasing me about you" he claimed, "Besides, they warmed up soon after you calmed down with your coffee" he added. Sadie frowned and pulled away.

"Wait, I've been meaning to ask, how did you know I would order a double-chocolate macchiato?" she asked, scowling. Spencer frowned slightly.

"Well, this morning you had the strawberry frappe" he pointed out. She nodded for him to continue.

"I've worked out an algorithm as to how you pick your coffee and I saw a pattern. Based on my assumptions and the times I've seen you order coffee, I've figured out that you go sideways on the menu, then down, the back again in a orderly fashion, so that you have a variety of flavours on all days and none of them are from the same category in the same week. With that knowledge I concluded that your next drink would have to be the double chocolate macchiato" he explained. Sadie stared at him in shock, her eyes wide and curious.

"I didn't know geniuses used their intelligence on such insignificant things" she said, amazed at the amount of time and effort he'd taken to come to that conclusion.

"It's something about you" he admitted, his cheeks burning red, "It's not insignificant"

Sadie felt herself blush dark red at his claim.

"You are such a sweet-talker!" she exclaimed, standing up, "Shall we get going? Grab a bite to eat before you retreat to your lair?" she joked. Spencer grinned, standing up and paying for their coffees.

"How do you like pizza?" he asked. Sadie smiled.

"Pizza and coke seem the way to go" she admitted.

As they walked to their destination, Spencer slipped his hand into hers', and Sadie felt glad to have done the coffee with friends. If it made him want to touch her more, she was more than willing to meet some more of his friends, even his mum.

* * *

><p>Reviews are love! Truly!<p> 


	10. Chapter 5 point 4

Well, a long-awaited mini-chapter! Sorry for the late update! Busy with academics!

Thank you to all reviewers! They were, truly, love!

Note about the last chapter: About the drink ordering algorithm, I think, that maybe, at one point, she may have thought up the algorithm. But, it's been a long time and she's so used to using it, she barely knows if she's ordering based on the algorithm, or her own choice. Wait. That doesn't make sense. What I mean is, perhaps, subconsciously, she thought it up and she doesn't give it much thought, except the thirty seconds she spends in front of the counter. Or something of that sort. I hope that clears it up. (In short, she thought it up long ago, subconsciously, but now, she's using it without giving it much thought.)

I hope the new-ish format helps with easier reading!

Love you all!

xoxo

* * *

><p>CHAPTER 5.4<p>

Coffee and Pie

It was a few days after Spencer's encouraging words, after Sadie had gone through half a row of books on one of the shelves in the study, that she decided she wanted to write again. Not just wanted, like she had before she'd come to the States with writer's block, but needed, as if the words couldn't, wouldn't, stop until they were all out on paper.

It started when she woke up in the middle of the night, it was close to four a.m, but still, she found the brand new box of notepads Nolan had bought for her, which she'd left in the study, and started writing. She didn't know where the words were coming from, or where the story was going to go, but by sunrise, she'd gone through eight and half pages, with no signs of stopping.

She did stop, of course, when her phone rang and she realised she'd missed coffee with her boyfriend.

"Spencer, oh God, I'm so sorry!" she said, flipping open her phone.

"What happened?" Spencer asked, his voice stiff.

"Oh! You wouldn't believe it!" Sadie said, excited, as she scrambled to get her outside clothes on, "I woke up with an epiphany! An epiphany! At my age and state!" rather dramatically.

"That sounds great" he agreed, his voice returning to almost-normal, "Shall I go ahead to work, or-?"

"Ah! No! Please, wait!" Sadie cried, desperately, "I'll see you in fifteen minutes, I swear! No longer!" she added. Spencer laughed.

"It's ok, I'll wait, as long as it takes" he informed her, "Be careful on your way" he added.

"Yes, see you soon!" she quipped, shutting her phone and scrambling to brush her teeth and wore a brown tunic that reached her knees, which she coupled with white, patterned leggings, her black coat and boots. Then, with one look in the mirror, Sadie shook her head at her unbelievable tangle of hair.

"This will be hell" she said to herself, as she tried to make the curls look decent, and not as if she'd just been woken up by a lion, or rat. After a few minutes of tugging and pulling and feeling as if she'd pulled out half the amount of hair from her head, Sadie looked presentable, in the sense that her hair no longer looked like a lion's mane, or a rat's project. Sadie picked up her notepad, books, keys and wallet and made her way out.

* * *

><p>Spencer was sitting at their table, the small two-seater in the corner where few people came, but which had a good view of the outside. Not that he was looking outside. Sadie went in and greeted him with a hug.<p>

"Sadie!" Spencer said, sounding shocked. Sadie could barely contain herself as she squeezed him tight.

"I'm so happy today!" Sadie admitted in a whisper, "Thank you, Spencer!" she said. Spencer seemed uncertain of her affections. He patted her back slowly, until he realised she wouldn't let go. Then, he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tight, pulling her close and breathing in deeply. Sadie smelled the scent of his cologne, his shampoo, the fabric softener he used on his sweaters, and of coffee and a scent that was his alone: like old books and printing ink.

"Thank you, Spencer" Sadie said again, pulling away, then leaning up to kiss his cheek, not fleeting, like the last time, more firm, longer and soft. Sadie felt the prickliness of his cheek, making her giggle as she pulled away and looked at him, her cheeks red, her eyes gleaming in pure appreciation.

"I don't know what you're thanking me so many times for" Spencer admitted, sounding clueless. Sadie shrugged.

"For being here, for being with me, for being you" she said, "Never stop being you"

"Ok" Spencer agreed, frowning, "But I must tell you that I can't ever stop being me. I will always be me and even in the past, I was me then too, all the 'me's that exist in any time in my life are all 'me', so obviously, I can't stop being me" he explained.

Sadie watched him as he rambled, phrases worded back and forth which ended up meaning the same. He must've been spooked by her sudden display of affection, she guessed, smiling in amusement. He was very endearing, she realised, so caring and he hardly knew it himself!

"Shall I bring you your coffee?" Spencer asked, shaking Sadie out her day-dream. She shook her head.

"I came to see you, not for coffee" she admitted, "Shall I drop you to the bus-stop?" she asked. Spencer frowned at her.

"You've been awake a long time already" he noted keenly, "And you haven't eaten anything since dinner, nor had a decent cup of coffee" he stated, "You will have coffee, and eat breakfast before I go to work" he finished firmly. Sadie looked at him, surprised by the firmness in his voice.

"I will eat breakfast and have coffee" Sadie agreed, "I don't want you being late for work. What if your team thinks I'm taking up too much of your time?" she said, suddenly shocked, her eyes wide, "What if they forbid you to see me anymore? What if I'm a terrible influence on you?"

Spencer frowned at her.

"I don't think they would think any of those things" Spencer informed, a smile of amusement playing on his lips, "But then, you'd have to promise that you have breakfast with me right now" he said. Sadie pouted and elbowed him in the sides gently.

"Aren't you being just the manipulative little profiler?" She joked as Spencer draped his arm around her shoulder. Sadie's went to hold his hand, and she looked up at him, grinning.

"There's a diner one block down" Spencer offered, "Special pie, every day"

"Ooh! Pie!" she said, excitedly, as he lead the way to breakfast.

"Did I tell you how lucky I am to have met you?" Sadie asked, looking up at him.

"Not really" Spencer admitted, smiling. Sadie grinned.

"Super lucky! I mean, what are the odds that you and I have been going to the same shop for so many months before our paths actually crossed?" she said, shaking her head.

"They wouldn't have, if you weren't day-dreaming in the queue and had bumped into my espresso cup" Spencer suggested. Sadie looked at him pointedly.

"Where is that shirt? Why haven't you worn it since?" Sadie asked instead.

"I'll wear it when it's a special day" Spencer answered shrugging. Sadie smiled, her hold of his hand tightening.

"Today's a special day" she said, more to herself than him, but Spencer smiled, pulling her closer and pecking the top of her head.

"Yeah, I'll wear it for dinner" he told her, "Shall we go out? Celebrate?"

Sadie nodded.

"Yes! Not something in the city though! I don't want to go there in the traffic!" she said. Spencer nodded.

"Someplace closer to home then" he agreed, "Shall I come by and pick you up, say six?"

"Could you give me a warning ring before you leave work though?" Sadie asked, looking like a good example of someone who forgot the world when involved in their projects.

"Sure" he agreed as they went into the diner to have breakfast.

* * *

><p>The elusive pink shirt makes an appearance!<p>

Tell me what you think!

Reviews are love!


	11. Chapter 6

Note: Oof! Long time no see! Sorry about that vague gap over the last few months. Here's a full-fledged chapter, which will, hopefully, satisfy your cravings.

* * *

><p>CHAPTER SIX<p>

THE TEXAS DRILLER CASE

Over the next few weeks, Spencer and Sadie met at the coffee-shop that had been their cupid, every day for their morning cups of coffee. Spencer had noticed that she no longer carried around the same copy of Nine Stories, instead, he saw a new title under her arm almost everyday. Some days, he even saw a large yellow notepad with a pencil tucked in the book, with scribbles in them, as if she were making notes. They also met to have dinner, or go to an art gallery, zoo or museum whenever Spencer mustered up the courage to ask. Sadie, although she never asked him out to such places, invited him over for a hand-cooked meal.

Soon, July was gone and August came and it really was fall, with red and yellow leaved trees lining the roads. One Saturday, when Spencer was sitting at the counter in Sadie's apartment, eating dinner and telling her about his friends' prank earlier in the week, his cellphone rang.

"Hello?" he said. It was Garcia, they had a serial killer in Galveston, Texas needing urgent attention.

"I'll be right in" he said, then sighed as he hung up.

"Is this the skipping away you spoke of?" Sadie enquired, smiling slightly. Spencer smiled apologetically and finished the last of his pasta.

"I'm sorry" he said, "Sometimes, these pyschopaths have really the worst timing! It's our first night out in the whole week and you've cooked such excellent pasta and I was really looking forward to seeing that new episode of Doctor Who that's going to air tonight and these psychopaths really can't control their tendencies till Monday morning!" he scolded.

Sadie laughed heartily. She tended to do that, around Spencer and leaned forward to kiss his cheek.

"I'll still be here when you get back" she promised, her hand leaning on his thigh, "I'll tape that episode for you so we can watch it when you get back?" she suggested, "Besides, psychopaths are fun to catch, aren't they?"

Spencer smiled, leaned down and kissed the top of her head, he was used to this much physical contact.

"Yeah, I suppose you do have a point" he said. Sadie pulled away from him.

"Here, I made a huge batch of blueberry muffins, take them with you" she offered, standing up and skipping to the refrigerator and pulling out a tray.

"That isn't very many" he admitted, counting 4X4, 16 muffins. Then, Sadie pulled out another tray and another.

"That's too many" he claimed, realising he wouldn't be able to carry them all.

"I'll wrap them up for you while you pick up your things" she offered. Spencer stood and washed his plate, or had started to, when she scolded him to pick up his things, that she'd get his plate, then, he went into the living room where his bag and coat lay. He picked them up and noticed the stuffed white rabbit on the laZboy again.. He went over and picked it up, it was pretty old, looked hand-made, but very clean, as if it had been washed every time it got too dirty. There were even some threads coming off from all the washing.

"Here" Sadie said, handing him a large cardboard box that she'd probably got from buying a large cake. Spencer handed her the rabbit.

"He seems old" he said. Sadie hugged the rabbit.

"Mr. Whiskers isn't old" she said, "He's only 19!" she claimed. Spencer smiled at her.

"Mr. Whiskers?" he asked. Sadie shrugged.

"I was five" she pointed out, "besides, he's got whiskers" she informed, pointing to the sewed on black threads on the side of the rabbit's face. Spencer smiled.

"Ok" he agreed, still smiling widely at how cute she sounded. Sadie hugged the little rabbit tightly as he leaned forward to kiss her forehead.

"Take care" he said, "I'll be back soon" he added. Sadie nodded, following him to the door. When he stood there, still unsure if he wanted to leave her and go away to Texas, of all places, he watched Sadie stand beside him. She looked up at him with her sparkly green eyes, leaned up and gave him a quick peck on the lips, a first for them both.

"Take care" she mumbled, looking down. Spencer was keenly aware that her cheeks, face, ears and neck were all stained red. Spencer felt himself flush red too, as he nodded, mumbled an incoherent reply, and left.

* * *

><p>When Spencer arrived at work, he felt very angry at the psychopath for ruining his perfectly good date with Sadie. In fact, he felt so angry, he was frowning when he entered the conference hall, much to surprise of his team-mates.<p>

"Look who woke up on the wrong side of his bed" JJ joked as Spencer sat down, not before putting the large muffin-box, as he'd started calling it in his mind, in the middle of the table.

"What's this?" Morgan asked, looking at it curiously.

"Blueberry muffins" Spencer replied, "Courtesy of Sadie" he added. Everyone knew Sadie. Morgan and JJ had even had the pleasure of meeting her in person, even seeing her jumping behind Spencer for cover.

"Lucky!" Morgan said, opening the box and handing them out to the rest of them. Garcia came in and claimed two for herself, feeling incredibly happy that they could have such a delicious snack right before they saw some gruesome murder photos. Hotch came in and they all settled to listen to the case. Spencer found himself getting distracted as he stared at the muffin in his hand. It was cream-coloured with a few blueberries stuck in the top. He knew Sadie to cook well, seeing as she lived alone. He'd never had anything she'd baked before though and he had been looking forward to eating it with her, because she'd told him about it specifically when she'd called him over.

"Oi, lover-boy" Morgan called, "We're collecting our stuff and heading to the jet. Want to join us?" Morgan teased. Spencer shook out of his reverie.

"Yes, sorry about that" he said, shaking his head. Morgan grinned.

"Yeah, a girl can do that to you" he admitted, "Come on, let's go, I'll brief you on the way" he added, helpfully.

Spencer heard the tale. Three women killed in the last month, all working women, all low-risk, all with families. The murderer caught them on their way home from work, took them to his "evil lair" in Morgan's exact words, raped them, then killed them post-coitus. Then, tossed them near the garbage cans close to where he'd found them. All in a matter of days. Each victim had been skinned, like the UnSub was trying to make a woman-suit made from their skins.

"Woman-suit?" Spencer blurted aloud. Morgan looked at him.

"That's a possibility" Morgan agreed, having already discussed that in the conference room.

"Right" Spencer said, looking over the files, his mind completely absorbed in the case now. Morgan grinned at him.

"Was she angry that you had to leave?" he asked. Spencer stopped scanning the pictures, looking up at Morgan.

"Sadie?" Morgan asked.

"She seemed alright" Spencer said, "She even made sure I didn't get too upset about it"

Morgan nodded.

"You should call her tomorrow, maybe ask her if she's angry, or something?" he suggested. Spencer nodded, thanking him, then, they went to the jet.

The ideas went back and forth. Their best bet, at the moment, was a woman-suit. Probably a man with gender-identity disorder. They needed to see the crime-scenes to make better deductions. Spencer was put together with Blake and he was glad it wasn't JJ, who would've teased him too much, nor Morgan, who would've been too brotherly. He just needed to be by himself, at the moment. Blake was good with that. She only pried when she saw clear signs that meant it wanted to be pried.

* * *

><p>"It looks as if she went without a struggle..." Blake deduced sharply, noticing the open locks, the clean car, no damages.<p>

"Maybe she was threatened?" Spencer suggested, "A gun or a knife?"

"Hmmm" she agreed, looking through, "Doesn't look like he was inside though. He must have come from the side, pointed the gun at her and told her to get out of the car"

"Yes" Spencer agreed, catching on to her trail of thought, "It would seem like a robbery, so perhaps she complied so he'd leave her and take the car. Instead, he leaves the car, over-powers her and takes her to his lair" he finished.

"_Lair?_" Blake repeated, amused. Spencer inwardly cursed Morgan's use of the word. It had stuck with him.

"Sorry" he mumbled. Blake shook her head, still smiling with amusement.

"Don't be. It sounds evil" she agreed, grinning wide.

"I'll need a map of the areas where all three abductions took place and where victims were found" Spencer asked the detective, who nodded and obliged.

"Let's go back to the station, see what the others found at forensics" Blake suggested.

* * *

><p>As soon as he saw the maps, Spencer realised that they all overlapped. He quickly became busy with making a larger map on the notice board and marking the sites of abduction and where the victims were found. All six areas were within a thirty mile radius in the heart of the city.<p>

"The victims were all raped by the same man" JJ offered, arriving in the office, "M.E. even found semen on their person, she's running a DNA trace now. C.O.D is the huge gaping hole on the side of her head, possibly from a driller"

"What about the skinning?" Spencer asked.

"All skinned post-mortem, resemble something from a slaughter-house" Morgan offered.

More ideas came flooding forward.

He could've been working at a slaughter-house. He could know these women personally. He could've met them at their workplaces, or coffeeshops.

"But, there's one problem" Hotch pointed out, making the team still in their places, "We still don't know what it is that overlaps in these three women and how he's hunting them"

Spencer stared at the map he'd drawn again, then down at the original.

"What if the fact that they all have low-risk lives is the over-lap?" he suggested, eyes wide as the adrenaline surged through his veins.

"He's seeking them out, successful women, married women, mothers" he said, and he could see the others saw his point.

"He's not just making a woman-suit" Morgan breathed in shock. Spencer nodded.

"He's making a mother-suit" he finished.

"Garcia, look up all recent deaths of woman in the area who've left behind children, probably raised without a father-figure, or an insignificant one" Hotch commanded.

"Right away, sir!" Garcia complied through the speaker, glad to have found something to work on.

"It still doesn't point to anything in particular" Blake realised.

"We still need to find their common point" Rossi muttered.

"Good job, pretty boy" Morgan said, slapping a hand on his shoulder as the others scattered to gather more information. Spencer beamed.

"Thanks, Morgan" he admitted, "That felt pretty good"

Morgan grinned.

"Go, take a break" Morgan commanded, "It's morning in D.C., call her up" he added, when Spencer opened his mouth to protest.

"I don't think she'll mind" Spencer voiced. Morgan smiled.

"She's a good kid" Morgan said, "You don't want to lose her. So, go; call her" he commaded. Spencer nodded, then left.

* * *

><p>It was after the fifth ring that Sadie answered, then yawned into the phone.<p>

"This had better be important" she hissed as she answered the phone, her voice low and cracking. Spencer smiled a little at how she tried to sound intimidating.

"Sadie, good morning" he said, "Did I wake you?" he asked. Sadie grunted into the phone.

"Why are you calling so early, Spencer!" she scolded, very childishly, then yawned, "It's barely six!" she mumbled. Spencer smiled.

"I'm sorry" he admitted, "I thought it was much later" he told her truthfully. Sadie yawned again.

"How is Texas?" she asked, seemingly awake now.

"Hot" he concluded shortly. Sadie yawned again.

"I'm sorry about leaving like that last night" Spencer started, having practised his speech in his head for ten minutes before calling her.

"Oi, don't bother!" she said, cutting him short, "It's fine. I'll practice baking until you get back, so be ready to try a variety of cakes when you return" she said. Spencer smiled.

"Ok" he agreed.

"I'll cook you dinner if you come here instead of going back to your flat to crash?" she offered.

"I'll take you up on that" he promised. She laughed.

"Alright, then" she said, "Go back to work. Catch the psycho and come back soon" she ordered.

"Yes, Ma'am" he agreed.

"Bye, love" she said, then hung up. Spencer stared at the phone as it beeped to notify that the call had ended. Rossi found him like that seven minutes later, still staring at his phone like he were a statue.

"Reid, you ok?" Rossi asked. Spencer shook out of his trance and looked at Rossi. Then, he blurted out the issue he was dealing with: Sadie's inappropriate use of words that meant more than she meant them to.

"She said, 'Bye, love!' What does that mean?" he enquired, sounding horrified, "Has she fallen in love with me? Or is it a form of endearment? Maybe she hopes I fall in love with her?" he rambled, as Rossi sipped his latte in amusement, but his face devoid of any such expression.

"That, Reid" Rossi informed as Spencer took a breath, "Is the women's way of keeping you on edge. Every woman I've ever known has done it and so should this one" he concluded. Spencer scowled.

"But, Sadie's not that type of woman. She's much younger" he said, "And she's more like me" he admitted, only then realising how alike they were.

"It's in their genes" Rossi said, "Two X's. Those genes are over-rated, I tell ya" he said, then walked away, leaving Spencer alone and wondering why he had to pick Rossi of all people for advice on dating.

* * *

><p>Spencer stalked back to the makeshift HQ room and stared at the white board, his mind distracted from the case. When Morgan walked into the room with JJ a half hour later, Spencer was still sitting and staring at the white board. Morgan half-wondered if Sadie had been upset about the sudden trip that Spencer had had to take. JJ, however, not wanting to talk about personal issues in the middle of a case, stopped Morgan before he could say anything about Spencer's sullenness.<p>

"Spence, another woman was kidnapped" JJ said, breaking Spencer's concentration and distracting him from his inner turmoil. Spencer stood up, wide awake and alert.

"Who? Where?" he asked shortly, picking up the marker and walking to the board with the maps.

Morgan offered the woman's name, address, workplace and place of kidnapping. Spencer stared at the map after he'd marked that off. By this time, Hotch and the rest of the team had arrived.

"The time between the kidnappings and the time of finding the bodies is 40 to 50 hours" Hotch stated.

"Which just means we have a little over two days to find and rescue her" Rossi offered, not quite as helpfully as he'd hoped.

"Well, what do we know about this guy?" JJ said, asking the right question.

"He's a white male" Morgan said, "females don't show this degree of sadism, and psychopaths tend to stick to their own race" he offered.

"He's recently lost a mother, or a motherly figure" Blake stated, "someone who had a deep impact on him and was probably the only close personal contact he's ever known. A single-parent family is most likely"

"There could be history of child abuse" Spencer offered, "Abuse-victims, especially males, are known to have a higher rate of turning out to be sadists"

"I guess we're ready to give out the profile" Hotch concluded, looking all his team-members in the eye before standing up and making his way out. The rest of them followed.

After they'd given out the profile and had Garcia look into every possible place that could offer a working space for a psychopath, the team looked back through all the details, so that they hadn't missed out on anything.

Garcia's call, a few hours later, came as a relief to them, for she had a list of the most likely suspects.

"Thirty four guys?" Morgan said with disbelief, feeling the list to be too long.

"Garcia, did you cross-reference them with those that have recently lost a parent?" Hotch enquired.

"Yes, sir" she responded swiftly.

"Garcia, how many of them live or work, within a thirty-mile radius of the first abduction?" Spencer asked.

"Uh" Garcia started, the sounds of typing were heard in the background as she paused, "Fourteen" she offered.

"Of them, how many own or rent a property in the countryside?" Spencer asked, and to the questioning looks of his teammates offered, "he'd have to have had a secluded place in his childhood and adolescence, if he was a victim of abuse, or if he were testing out his sadism on animals" he informed. JJ looked surprised that Spencer had come to that conclusion with that much data.

"That gives us three" Garcia said, then the team divided and went to each of the addresses that Garcia had sent them on their phones.

* * *

><p>It was Blake and Morgan that caught the suspect and found the woman who'd been abducted less than thirty hours earlier, dehydrated and abused, chained to wall in the man's basement. By the time, Spencer had arrived at the crime scene, the suspect had been taken away and the victim was in the back of an ambulance, on the way to a hospital. As he looked through the house, gathering evidence, Spencer found something neither him, nor the team had expected to find: a body in the freezer.<p>

"That looks like his aunt" JJ offered, pulling up the photo of the recently deceased woman on her tablet, that Garcia had sent her. Spencer frowned at the woman, who looked peaceful, like she'd died when she'd slept.

"That's disturbing" he commented. JJ frowned at her friend.

"Yes, definitely" she agreed, as the M.E. came to take photos.

* * *

><p>As the team packed their stuff to go back, Morgan looked at the confused expression on Spencer's face.<p>

"Is she mad?" Morgan asked, "Sadie?" he added, when Spencer looked up. He shook his head.

"She's not mad, surprisingly" he admitted, "But she's acting strange" he added, then told him about the conversation he'd had with her on the phone. Morgan looked at Spencer as the latter finished his narrative. Then, laughed. Not just snickered, laughed aloud, prompting looks from the rest of the team.

"She's English" Morgan offered. Spencer scowled.

"She's Irish, and that would've offended her" he informed. Morgan shook his head.

"Isn't that how they speak?" Morgan said, ignoring Spencer's reaction, "Love, darlin' and all that other stuff they say on TV with the accents?" he said. Spencer suddenly realised it was, in fact, as Morgan had pointed out. She was Irish, of course they spoke like that! It made sense!

"I see" he agreed, "So, I needn't worry about the declarations of love, the need to find an engagement ring, or to book a chapel?" Spencer enquired.

"Not yet, kid" Morgan said, grinning, "But you'll get there, soon enough" he added.

"Thanks, Morgan" he admitted truthfully. Morgan grinned and went on his way, occassionally bursting into a fit of chuckles. Spencer pulled out his phone and called Sadie.

"Hello?" he said.

"Hi, Spencer" she said, "Are you heading to bed?" she asked.

"Uh, no" he admitted, "We finished the case, we're heading back" he said.

"Right now?" she asked, as if wide awake.

"Yeah, the jet leaves in 20" he admitted, "It's late, you should go to bed, I'll see you tomorrow, alright?" he said.

"No, no!" she said, a bit loudly, "Come here! I'll make pasta!" she said, sounding suddenly enthusiastic. Spencer smiled.

"It's already ten, Sadie" he said, "It'll be so late, it'll be early when I get there"

"So, I'll buy us some coffee" she offered. Spencer smiled.

"Ok, I'll call you when the jet lands. If you're asleep, I won't come by, deal?" he said.

"Ok, deal" she agreed, "See you soon"

Spencer smiled as she hung up and he stared at the phone. She was so adorable! Humming to himself, he finished packing up and went out, a spring in his step as he thought of Sadie and her pasta.

"You seem incredibly happy" JJ noted as they strapped themselves in on the jet.

"Sadie's cooking me pasta for when I get back" he said, sounding happier than he meant to, considering the look JJ was giving him.

"I hope you're not pushing her too much" JJ warned, "She doesn't seem the normal type"

Spencer frowned, already fully aware that Sadie was not normal. Her life was as abnormal as it could possibly get.

"I know" he replied instead, "She invited me, even after I told her it would be too late"

JJ smiled.

"In that case, Spence, have fun" she encouraged with a smile, "And enjoy the damn pasta!"

Spencer smiled and decided to catch a few winks before they landed.

* * *

><p>Spencer stared at his phone as the rest to the team disembarked. He half-hoped Sadie was asleep and so he could go home and sleep in his own bed. Another half of him wondered if she'd made green sauce or puttanesca. Then, deciding that in a moment he'd know, he called her. On the third ring, she answered.<p>

"Shall I see you in an hour?" she asked, sounding amused.

"Yeah, approximately" he mumbled sheepishly.

"Alright, then" she said, then hung up. Spencer went out, following his team to their office.

* * *

><p>"Hello" Sadie greeted, opening the door for him. Spencer smiled back.<p>

"Hi" Spencer answered, following her into the apartment.

"I've switched on the hot water" she offered, "I've even kept out some fresh clothes. I hope they fit" she added, retreating towards the kitchen. Spencer hung his jacket, put his bag behind the couch and went towards the bath, down the corridor, second door on the right. He noticed the clothes she placed on the shelf, large t-shirt and pyjama pants, obviously her brother's. He didn't mind. They had been washed and ironed too.

* * *

><p>When Spencer returned from the bath, he found Sadie sitting in her laZboy, reading a book, while clutching Mr. Whiskers. She read a lot, he'd noticed. It became difficult making conversation with her. He'd returned from the bath bare-footed, like Sadie often was at home, even now.<p>

"Sadie" he called. Sadie blinked up at him and smiled, putting down the rabbit, but carrying her book.

"I made puttanesca" she offered as they walked to the counter where they usually had their meals, "I hope you don't mind" she added. Spencer stared as she watched him too. He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly. He felt her arms circle around his torso and squeeze him tightly.

"I'm ok" he told her, "You worried, didn't you?" he asked. Sadie breathed against his chest.

"Of course" she said, "especially since you were out looking for a psychopath!" she exclaimed dramatically. Spencer laughed at how genuinely worried she sounded, while also childish, at the same time.

"I'm ok" he reassured her.

"I know" she admitted, "Thank the Gods" she added, pulling away, looking red in the cheeks. Spencer knew that one reason for it was her outburst. He sat down, gesturing her to do the same and ate his meal in silence. Sadie read her book. A book for young adults, Spencer noted, while not saying anything.

"I've made up the guest bedroom for you to sleep in" Sadie said as he neared the end of his pasta, "Fresh covers, cushions and a new flower I plucked from the back garden"  
>By 'back garden', Sadie meant a rectangular pot that sat on her windowsill in the study. It had a small flowering shrub called the Madagascar periwinkle. It bloomed white five-petaled flowers throughout the year, or so she'd claimed.<p>

"Thank you" he answered, "That will be good" he added. Sadie smiled.

"This way" she lead, after she'd cleaned up the plates, going down the hallway until they reached the end and then turned left. The lights were on and the general hue of the room was blue, Spencer could tell.

"I'll be in the living" she informed Spencer walked around the room, exploring it, "So, if you need anything, just call for me"

"I'll be fine" he promised, walking back towards her. Sadie nodded.

"Alright" she agreed, still clutching her book tightly, "Good night, Spencer" she wished, leaning up to kiss his cheek. Spencer leant down and kissed her forehead.

"Sleep well, Sadie" he replied. Sadie smiled, then stumbled out the room and back to the living room. Spencer sat on the edge of his bed and wondered why, when they had a guest room, her brother would convert the study into a room for her? Pushing such thoughts out of his mind, he went to bed, deciding that he'd wake up early and buy Sadie coffee and perhaps make her breakfast too.

* * *

><p>Was the case too much like <em>Silence of the lambs<em>?

Was the interaction between the team, ok?

Let me know what you think!

Please, review!


	12. Chapter 7

New Chapter! Hope you enjoy!

* * *

><p>CHAPTER SEVEN<p>

GEEK NIGHT

* * *

><p>Spencer was, to say the least, surprised at the seemingly shocked expression on Sadie's face when she opened the door to him. He'd arrived unannounced on Friday afternoon hoping to surprise Sadie with his spontaneity. Instead, Sadie, whose surprised expression had now turned to displeased and mildly angry, looked at him with narrowed green eyes.<p>

"Spencer" Sadie said, frowning now, turning her expression almost comical. Spencer smiled with his lips pressed together in an apologetic way, wondering if he'd perhaps made a mistake in trying to surprise Sadie. He'd always called before he'd gone over before and everytime Sadie had approved his arrival. Except this time.

"Is something wrong?" was the first statement out of her mouth, as she stood in the door, with no intention of inviting him in.

"Sadie" Spencer started, now feeling a bit let down, "I thought since it's Friday we could go catch a show at the theatre. 'The Phantom of the Opera' is playing in the city and I remembered you said you'd never seen that and so I thought we could go together to watch it" he rambled on at a fast pace. Sadie gave him a half-smile, almost apologetic.

"I'm sorry" she said, "I have plans" she informed, her voice a small whisper. Spencer frowned a little, feeling a bit foolish as they both stood outside her apartment, Sadie closing the door as far as it would without it clicking shut.

"Oh" Spencer said, realising at that moment that Sadie had friends and people she knew who weren't him. Sadie looked down-hearted as he stared at her.

"That was very thoughtful of you" Sadie said, still whispering. Spencer half-wondered if she had another guy in her apartment and if she weren't really as serious about him as he was about her. That thought was instantly kicked out of his mind as the door behind Sadie opened suddenly and he saw three women with sinister grins looking between him and Sadie. Sadie turned quickly, her head whipping around to stare at the women in shock and horror, and stepping back so that she was standing beside Spencer, their arms pressed together.

"What do we have here?" asked the woman on the left, a black-haired, brown-eyed woman who was dressed in blue overalls. Her hair was short, straight and her eyes crinkled when she smiled. She grinned wildly as she looked at Spencer, who suddenly realised why Sadie had been whispering and standing outside her own apartment.

"Looks like our little Sadie's been hiding her boy-toy" said the woman on the right, who was red-haired and blue-eyed and spoke in a thick Irish accent. She was dressed in a suit-dress and her hair, which was shoulder-length, was combed into a braid.

"Why aren't we inviting him in? He looks like he's in shock" said the one in the middle, a brown-haired, brown-eyed woman who was wearing green scrubs, as if she'd just come from the hospital.

Then, the three women lead Spencer into the apartment, or rather, pulled him in and Sadie, who was still in shock just went along with them, perhaps too shocked to say anymore.

* * *

><p>"Well, well" said the dark-haired woman, "Little Sadie has been busy, hasn't she?" she said, almost teasingly, while looking at Sadie. Spencer frowned at the other two women, who were staring at him with sinister smiles on their faces.<p>

"Hello" the red-haired woman offered, grinning wildly, "We're Sadie's friends" she said.

"And who are you?" the brunette enquired.

"I'm Dr. Spencer Reid" Spencer said, suddenly self-conscious, "Sadie's boyfriend" he added. The two women glanced at each other with similar grins. The third pulled Sadie into a bear-hug.

"Our little Sadie!" she cried, smothering Sadie, who was too shocked to pull away or fight.

"She's all grown-up!" she continued, still smothering Sadie with her arms.

"Liz, Sadie's choking" the brunette pointed out, making her let go. Sadie coughed a little and drew a few well-needed breaths.

"Let's start with names" the brunette offered, "I'm Sofia Walters" she introduced, then gesturing with her hands towards the red-head said, "That's Cara Fitzgerald" and gesturing towards the dark-haired woman said, "And Liz Yamada"

"Hi" Spencer said, waving. Sadie coughed.

"That was rude" Sadie started, frowning at the three women, who grinned at her, not the least bit apologetic.

"Sof, Car, Liz, can I talk to you guys for a second?" Sadie said, standing up, "In the kitchen?"

Spencer watched as the girls grinned at him and walked out of the room, following Sadie, who had a killer expression on her normally placid face. Spencer sat on the couch, a tad uncomfortably, because the kitchen was to his left and it wasn't exactly sound-proofed. To busy himself, he looked around the living room to the mess the girls had made instead. More than a dozen CDs were scattered across the coffee table and several CD boxes were scattered on the floor in front of the TV. A bowl of popcorn sat on one of the laZboys and two glasses of wine stood on the table and one on the floor. Spencer heard harsh whispers and sounds of giggling emanating from the kitchen. He was tempted to turn and look, but resisting, he instead stared at the image on the TV that had been paused, perhaps when he'd rung the door-bell. It was the opening sequence of The Fellowship of the Ring, he knew, because he'd seen it several times and he was rather partial to the first part because the first time he'd watched it was with his mother, when it had originally opened. Spencer stared at the screen and then, as the discord in the room and the women in the apartment all settled in his mind, he realized he'd interrupted something. Something big.

It was not a moment later that he saw Sadie step up to him, the three women still in the kitchen, discussing in hushed voices amongst themselves.

"Sorry about that lot" Sadie said, "we never have people interrupt during one of these"

"What is this, exactly?" Spencer asked, half-expecting no reply, and the other half anticipating a scolding. Sadie half-shrugged.

"Well, it's the 25th" she said, "we usually get together on the 25th and do something together. This time it's the Lord of the Rings extended cut marathon. Last time, it was Super Mario on Liz's Nintendo 64" she explained. Spencer stared at her with disbelieving eyes. He had no idea how to respond to that. What Sadie had explained to him about what she was doing that night, and on every 25th, by the sounds of it, sounded a lot like a bunch of geeks spending time together doing things only they understood.

"Oh" he said, suddenly at a loss of words. Sadie scrunched up her nose, which made her look too cute for words and bit her lip.

"We've always hung out on the 25th since my school days" Sadie continued to explain, as if she sensed Spencer's surprise and disbelief.

"And we all have tastes that other girls don't quite understand, or like" she continued to ramble, "It's too strange to explain in words, I suppose. I guess you could say, we tolerate each others' oddness because, well, we're all a bit odd"

Spencer smiled at her, making her stop.

"It's ok" he said, "I get it" he continued, seeing that Sadie's facial expression was relaxing, "It's like geek night"

Sadie smiled.

"I suppose it is" she agreed, "We have always been an odd bunch, right from the start" she admitted. Spencer smiled at her response.

"It's good that you have friends" he offered, "It's more difficult to be odd alone" he spoke from experience. Sadie smiled at him.

"Sadie" came a voice from the kitchen. Sadie turned towards the voice, and with a nod, turned back to Spencer.

"Can you stay awhile?" she asked, "They want to talk to you" she informed, frowning slightly, "It's basically an interrogation" she added. Spencer looked at Sadie, who was seemingly perturbed by this request by her friends.

"I can stay" Spencer answered, "If you sit beside me and hold my hand?" he added, as he remembered that day that Sadie had met his friends, all those weeks ago.  
>"Sadie!" came a voice from the kitchen. Sadie turned to it and nodded.<p>

"He can stay for some time" she informed them. Spencer glanced at the kitchen and noticed the three women sharing their opinions in hushed voices.  
>"Do you want a glass of wine?" Sadie offered, making Spencer turn to her.<p>

"Uh-" he started, thinking it through, then he shook his head, once, "No, thank you. I'll just have something light" he stated. Sadie smiled.

"Coke?" she offered, her voice light and filled with laughter. Spencer smiled and nodded.

"Just a small glass" he said, holding up his index finger and thumb to show how small. Sadie nodded.

"Just make yourself comfortable, I'll be back soon" she said and wandered into the kitchen.

* * *

><p>No sooner had she left did the three women appear in the living room and pushed Spencer into one of the laZboys, stood over him, a menacing look in their eyes.<p>

"Hello" Spencer said, being polite.

It was crinkly-eyed Liz who spoke first.

"Doctor Reid" she said, "You do realize what is about the start?" she asked. Spencer pressed his lips together and nodded once.

"Sadie said you wanted to talk to me" he offered. Liz smiled a little, but soon, it looked forced.

"It's not talking, doc" Cara said, "It's more of a Q and A sort of deal" she informed. Spencer nodded.

"I think I've got the gist of it" he stated. Sofia smiled.

"Have you got a drink?" Sofia asked.

"Here" Sadie said, handing Spencer a glass of coke with ice, the way he liked it. Thanking her, Spencer took a small customary sip of the glass, avoiding the women's eyes.

"OK, let's get started" Sofia said cheerfully as she and Liz took a seat on the couch and Cara stood over him. Sadie sat on the arm of the laZboy on which Spencer was seated.

"Sadie, I think you should leave us" Cara suggested. Sadie put her hand on Spencer's shoulder.

"I think I should stay" she answered. Cara seemed momentarily fazed, but she recovered swiftly and her face was frozen in a scowl that seemed to have the most desirable effect on the opposite party: a feeling of doom that set in their hearts and minds. Spencer felt this as her gaze fixed upon him.

"Alright" Cara started, "Now, doctor" she said, as if the word left a bad taste in her mouth, "Start with where and how you became acquainted with Sadie"

Spencer frowned a little. Her words were definitely the kind that the police and the FBI used when taking the statement from the victim, or even, for that matter, the accused.

"I met Sadie eight weeks ago" Spencer started, retracing his steps and finding easily the day that he'd first met Sadie, "It was in the second week of August, we met at the Starbucks around the corner. Sadie was behind me in the queue, she was day-dreaming" he recalled, "when I turned around to leave, she almost walked into me and I ended up with the contents of the double espresso cup on my shirt and tie. She then apologized perfusedly and only stopped when I agreed to let her replace the shirt"

Sadie gave his shoulder a small squeeze.

"She looked so adorable" Spencer continued, "All red and flustered and she kept apologizing, I thought she'd start crying" he admitted. Spencer turned to Sadie, who was red in the cheeks now.

"You were adorable" he stated simply. Sadie stole her eyes in embarrassment, but her hand didn't leave his shoulder.

Cara cleared her throat. Spencer turned back to her.

"And then? I don't suppose you started going out that very day?" she asked.

Spencer stared at the woman, who seemed more worried about Sadie than he deemed necessary, at least for someone not related to Sadie by blood.

"No, we did not" Spencer accepted, "It was after two dates that I realised that I like Sadie and it was after dinner, or the third date, that I asked her out, officially"

Cara scoffed.

"Three dates!" she repeated, laughing out loud.

"Cara" Sofia said, "calm down"

"Do you believe this guy?!" turning to her friends on the couch, "Three dates! And he asks her out, properly!"

"Well" Sadie said, "It was actually two dates" she informed, "And then there was a dinner, if I'm not wrong?" she said, uncertainly, turning to Spencer, who nodded.

"We had pizza" Spencer said, "And coke"

Sadie nodded, smiling.

"You looked so cool" Sadie said, smiling now, "Bringing in the pizza and coke and being brave for my sake"

Spencer felt himself flush with embarrassment. No one had ever called him 'cool' before. Not once. Not for anything.

"Thanks, I suppose" he said, pausing momentarily.

"Ok, ok" Sofia said, making the two turn to her. Cara was sitting in the middle now, a frown marring her face.

"So, you've been going out so many days and yet, Sadie's never spoke of you to us. Why do you think that is, doc?" Sofia asked. Spencer frowned. Why, indeed, he thought to himself.

"Because I knew this would happen" Sadie answered, using her free hand to gesture to their current state of affairs, "Because this sort of thing has happened with every guy you lot have mentioned before" she continued, frowning a little at the three, almost angrily, but not quite. There was something else in her face, something Spencer couldn't quite place.

"Because all of those guys backed away when you three went 'gangsta' on them" she said, saying 'gangsta' like they did in the movies.

Liz laughed. Out loud. Clutching her sides like they hurt and she continued laughing while the other two grinned at each other.

"Well, that's the point" Cara said, "If a guy can't handle us for a few hours, then he can't handle us the rest of his life"

"Yeah, he might as well leave soon, so we can get on with finding the right one" Sofia offered. Sadie sighed and shook her head. Liz had stopped laughing and wiped the corner of her face, to blot out the tears.

"Gangsta" she said to herself, smiling and shaking her head, "Sadie's become so cute!"

Spencer stared at the three women, who nodded to themselves, grinning to themselves and he wondered what circumstances had brought this odd bunch together.

"May I ask?" Spencer started, as the realization hit him, "How did you meet Sadie?"

Cara frowned slightly, and the other two exchanged looks.

"Liz and I met in Edinburgh" Sadie offered, "We were room-mates for a while" she continued, "And we met Sofia when she was there for an 'externship' in our last year"

"And I met Sadie when she was 17" Cara offered, "I went out with Nolan for a few months during my first year in the academy"

"You're in the FBI?" Spencer asked. Cara nodded.

"Foreign affairs, doctor" she said grimly. Spencer nodded.

"I see" he mumbled, surprised by her claim.

"Sofia's a resident in Bethesda" Sadie said, filling the silence with her voice, "And Liz paints"

"Oh" Spencer said, not really paying much attention. He had remembered what Garcia had told him about Nolan's death all those weeks ago: it was no accident, but an assassination. He wondered if Cara knew this. He wondered if she knew, why she hadn't told Sadie.

"Well" Cara said, standing up, after picking up her wine-glass from the floor, "I guess we're done" she said. Spencer frowned. It had ended prematurely because he'd unintentionally brought up Sadie's brother, he realised. Sadie gave his shoulder a squeeze, making him turn to her. Sadie smiled towards him.

"Well, doc" Sofia said standing up, "Sadie's in your care"

"Yes, look after her now" Liz said, smiling brightly, her eyes crinkling, "she's very precious to us"

Spencer nodded, suddenly deep in thought and at a loss for words. His mind had wandered to Sadie's dead brother and what relationship Cara Fitzgerald had had with him.  
>Sadie stood, her reassuring grip on Spencer releasing abruptly, pulling him out of his mind and into the real world.<p>

"You dazed out for a moment there" Sadie commented. Spencer stood and shook his head.

"It's nothing" he lied miserably. Sadie nodded, smiling a little. The women were gone now and Spencer had been too involved in his own thoughts to know where. He looked around and found no trace of them, except the remnants of the night that had been interrupted by his abrupt arrival.

"Cara went up" Sadie informed, as if noticing his confusion, "Liz and Sofia went with her" she continued.

"I see" he said. Sadie smiled a little.

"They were engaged" Sadie informed, "Cara and Nolan" she stated, "They had planned on a June wedding. It never happened though" she explained.

"I'm so sorry! I had no idea!" Spencer said, shocked to have found out that he'd been second-guessing the woman who'd lost her lover.

"It's ok" Sadie said, "we've both grieved for him, and have come to terms with his passing" she informed. Spencer wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. Sadie's arms automatically wrapped around his chest as she pressed her face in his shoulder.

"Thank you" she said, breathing out against his neck, making it tingle.

They stood there, not saying any thing more, hugging each other. Then, after several long minutes, Sadie pulled away. Spencer looked down at her, his arms resting on her shoulders. Sadie looked up, and in a swift movement, pressed her lips against his. The kiss lasted twelve seconds before she pulled away. Spencer opened his eyes to find her blushing.

"May I?" he asked, bending down to her eyes level and with a small nod, Sadie responded. Spencer leaned down, pressing his lips against hers' again, this time for longer, as he pulled her closer so their bodies touched and pressed harder against her lips with his own. He pulled away after a minute. Sadie was flushed red.

"That was a kiss" Sadie breathed. Spencer nodded once.

"It was a simple one" he stated, "Not the open mouth kind"

Sadie turned a shade darker.

"I'm not sure I'm ready for that kind yet" she admitted, looking up with surprise written on her face. Spencer nodded, flushing red as well, on seeing her reaction.

"Ok" he agreed. Sadie nodded to herself.

"I guess I should get going" Spencer said, pulling away from the hug that he was sharing with Sadie. Sadie nodded again.

"I'll take the elevator with you" she said, "I'll go see how Cara's doing"

Spencer nodded as he stood, his coke stood where he'd left it when the interrogation had begun.

"Sorry about disturbing your night" he said, as Sadie picked the keys to her apartment out of a bowl beside the door.

"It's no problem" she answered, wearing her flip-flops, "It was good that you met them" she said as they both exited the apartment and stood in front of the elevator doors.

"They seem like nice people" Spencer admitted, as the elevator doors pinged and opened. They both stepped in and Sadie pressed the button for the ground floor.

"They are" She answered, "They're my best friends" she informed, "and my critics, my proof-readers, my go-to people" she continued. The doors pinged and opened again.

"Your family" he finished for her. Sadie looked up and smiled.

"Yep, that's right" she admitted, "my family"

Spencer nodded. He knew. He understood exactly what she felt for them. And he could guess what they felt for her too.

"Take care" he said, then, leaning down, pecked her on her lips, shorter than the one they'd shared before, just a few seconds long. Sadie smiled as he'd kissed her and was still smiling when he'd pulled away.

"Sunday, do you want to go to the library with me?" Sadie asked. Spencer stood outside the elevator, his hand held out to keep the doors from closing. He nodded.

"Shall I meet you around 10" he enquired, "at the coffee-shop?"

Sadie nodded.

"Ten at the coffee-shop" she agreed. She waved as Spencer removed his hand from the door. The elevator pinged and the doors shut and Spencer watched it move up the building to the top floor.

Then, smiling to himself at the prospect of meeting Sadie on Sunday, and the fact that he'd shared a longer close-mouthed kiss than the one she'd given him a few days ago, he walked out of the building feeling good about himself, and about the world in general.

* * *

><p>Reviews are love, honest!<p> 


	13. Chapter 7 point 5

A mini-story in Sadie's point of view.

* * *

><p>Chapter 7.5<p>

Hugs

It was Thursday afternoon, in the middle of his paper-sorting that Spencer's phone rang. All eyes in the room turned to him curiously. Spencer's phone rarely rang in the middle of the day. It also never rang as loudly as it did. Spencer frowned, coloured and answered the phone.  
>"Hello" he said.<br>"Hey, Spencer" Sadie's voice came through the ear-piece, "Are you busy tonight?" she asked.  
>"Not particularly" he answered, wondering what was so interesting about his face as the rest of the team were all staring, as if unable to peel their eyes off him.<br>"I just found a whole DVD collection of Doctor Who in the storage, do you want to come over and watch a few?" she asked.  
>"Why Doctor Who?" Spencer asked, frowning, "And why are you probing through your storage?"<br>"I was looking for a book I think I may have lost" Sadie admitted, "Still can't find it, though. So, what do you think? You up for it?" she asked, her voice filled with laughter.  
>"A Doctor Who marathon sounds fun" he admitted, "But I have seen all the episodes, so I might spoil the end for you" he warned. Sadie laughed.<br>"No biggie, it's Doctor Who, anything's interesting" she claimed, "So, what do you say?" she asked again.  
>"Sure, I'll be there" he agreed, frowning at JJ, who looked at him with a strange expression, one he'd never seen on her before.<br>"Great! I'll make pasta Alfredo! I'm an excellent pasta chef" Sadie claimed.  
>"I'm looking forward to it" Spencer agreed, "I'll bring coke" he offered.<br>"Cheers, mate!" Sadie agreed, "See you soon" she added, then hung up.  
>"Bye" Spencer mumbled, wondering why JJ was crossing the room to close the distance between them. Then, she hugged him tightly. Spencer stood still. In fact, he was so still, he was like a warm-blooded statue. Then, Morgan, Blake and Rossi came in for a group hug and Spencer wondered why his team-mates were being so strange and awkward all of a sudden.<br>"What was that all about?" Spencer asked, once they pulled away.  
>"Well, you see, Reid" Rossi started, his cheeks rising as he spoke, "It seems to us that you have finally grown up" he informed. Spencer frowned.<br>"I grew up a long time ago" Spencer said, "I grew from the time of my birth until I was 21. First of course, was the two years of mental development, followed by the years of actual growth, the first growth spurt in the body after birth, then again at the start of puberty when the sex hormones, mainly androgen and epiandrogens are secreted by the now developed testes, which act as anabolic steroids and help built bone, muscle bulk and help lose fat in the males. Puberty in the aversge male starts at around 14 years and ends by 21-22 years. I believe I had stopped growing when I joined the Academy" he explained in detail. JJ smiled.  
>"Or, not" she said, making the others burst into laughter.<p>

Sadie wondered why Spencer was sitting on the couch, staring at the TV, but not really watching it, or enjoying it. Sadie stood, leaving her notepad, her book and the remote on the laZboy, where she'd been sitting, and crossed the floor to the couch, where Spencer sat, staring absently in the general direction of the television. She bent down to his eye level, putting her hands on his shoulder, making him look at her, suddenly, abruptly, making him jerk swiftly to face her, his eyes wide in shock at the sudden loss of his daydream. Sadie was frowning at him, her eyes narrowed, almost menacingly.  
>"What happened?" Spencer asked, frowning at her.<br>"You're asking me that?" she asked, looking at him pointedly, "You're sitting there like a frigid corpse since you got here, and you're honestly asking me that?" she asked.  
>Spencer looked at her apologetically and opened his mouth.<br>"No, don't apologize" she said, cutting him off, "What's wrong? Is something troubling you?"  
>The fact that she sounded worried, rather than cross, must've made Spencer relax, for he smiled, putting his hands on hers', which were still holding his shoulders firmly.<br>"It's something insignificant" Spencer admitted. Sadie smiled a little, letting go of his shoulders to sit beside him, close enough that their thighs were touching and bumped his shoulder with hers'.  
>"It's something about you, and therefore more significant than you give it credit for" she said, honestly, smiling encouragingly. Spencer felt his heart skip a beat when she said that, and she especially liked the way her hair, that was pulled back in the middle of her head to keep it off her eyes, fell on her shoulders, down her back, some even touching the couch she was now sitting on. Spencer smiled and told her about the team and their strange hug after her phone call earlier that day. When he was done, he watched as Sadie bit the corner of her lower lip.<br>"Is that what happened? When I called you?" she asked. Spencer nodded.  
>"Weird, huh?" he offered. Sadie coloured red in the cheeks, her heart racing.<br>"Good Lord! I'm never calling you at work again!" she exclaimed, "Your team is possibly the biggest hurdle to cross! I'm not going there! Nope! Never!" she exclaimed, shaking her head as if she were five and throwing a tantrum about lunch.  
>"What are you talking about?" Spencer asked, frowning now. Sadie scowled, then, shook her head.<br>"They were teasing you, you know" she said, "that you've gotten yourself a girlfriend" she informed, colouring red in her cheeks, a redness that went all the way down to the base of her neck. Sadie felt her heart race as Spencer worked it out in his large, genius mind. She waited as he thought, and thought and thought and Sadie wondered if he was honestly going to make her wait so long. Just as Sadie had given up on his coming to a conclusion of his own, Spencer spoke.  
>"That seems as serious as it sounds" Spencer concluded, nodding to himself. Sadie turned to him, smiling, her embarrassment ebbing away. She even let out a giggle of relief.<br>"It's not really" she informed, "Just, I don't want to disappoint them, you know?" she admitted, shrugging, "They've known you longer and you trust them. I want them to not disapprove of me, rather, I'd really like it if they liked me" she rambled, a bit uselessly, it seemed, because Spencer was smiling.  
>"I think they'll see the person I see" he admitted, "And see all the things I like"<br>Sadie turned red again.  
>"You are... impossible" she claimed, then turned to him and hugged him, her arms wrapping around his torso and pushing her face into his neck. Spencer froze, momentarily, then, when he smelled the scent of Sadie's hair, as it tickled his neck and face, her heat conducting to him through the contact and the spark of electricity he was certain had passed through them when she'd hugged him, he felt his arms circle around her and pull her close. Sadie laughed into his neck, her lips touching his bare throat, making Spencer's heart race frantically.<br>"Hugs are nice" Sadie whispered at last, her breath tickling Spencer's neck. Spencer smiled and pushed his nose into her shoulder, smelling her fruity scent mixed with the smell of mac and cheese, and the faint fragrance of the periwinkle that sat on the windowsill of her study. It became a scent he came to like a lot.  
>"Yes, indeed" he agreed, speaking into her shoulder, which came out muffled.<br>Sadie, whose heart was racing like she was running a marathon, not that she'd ever run a marathon, or thought of it, in fact, felt Spencer's breath on her shoulder and for a moment, her heat stopped. It did, indeed, skip a beat, then, raced faster than before. She liked the smell of Spencer around her, like the time she'd hugged him in the coffee-shop. He hadn't returned her hug like this, and Sadie decided she could get used to this sort of thing. Hugs were nice, they both agreed, whole-heartedly.

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><p>Reviews are love, honest!<p> 


	14. Chapter 8

Ooh! New Chapter! Enjoy!

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><p>CHAPTER EIGHT<p>

KIDNAPPINGS IN D.C.

It was a sunny Thursday morning. Spencer reached the coffee-shop knowing that Sadie would meet him at the door. They'd synchronized over the days, not consciously, but perhaps that wasn't such a bad thing. As he crossed the street, watching the corner that Sadie turned to get there, he saw her tangle of black hair appear, just as he reached the footpath. Sadie's hair seemed longer and more tangled each time they met. Some days, she'd braid it down to the end, others, she'd pull it into a messy bun. But, mostly, she let it free, allowing her hair to fly every which way that they pleased. The tangles, or rather, the de-tangling, didn't seem to bother her much. Perhaps, she never de-tangled her hair at all, Spencer mused, not hiding the smile that had crept up on his face as he met Sadie at the corner of the shop. Sadie smiled at him, giving him a quick peck on his lips and pulling away just as swiftly. Spencer was suddenly aware that they were not alone.

Cara Fitzgerald was scowling when she reached them at the corner of the shop, and shot a questioning glance to Sadie, it seemed. Sadie tried an apologetic smile, but Cara's frown made it very hard.

"Good morning" Spencer greeted. Cara's frowning face turned to face him.

"Nothing is good about this morning" Cara claimed, then walked past them and into the coffee-shop.

"Sorry about her" Sadie apologized, "She's in a bit of mood because her boss is being an arse" she explained, leading him to the shop entrance.

"Oh" Spencer said. Sadie smiled a little.

"She's also a bit hung-over from all the whiskey she drank last night while she complained about him" she continued, "I've never seen her this hung-over though" she added, almost amused.

"I didn't think you were the kind to laugh at other people's miseries" Spencer stated honestly as they stood in the long queue. Sadie shrugged.

"I like seeing this side of Cara" Sadie admitted, "She's very endearing like this" she added wistfully. Spencer smiled and shook his head. Cara, who was standing in the queue right in front of them glanced back and glared at Spencer.

"Doctor Reid" she said, "You meet here everyday?" she asked, sounding surprised. Spencer nodded.

"Except weekends" he offered. Cara scowled and looked towards the side of the shop. Sadie looked too and then, tore her eyes away from the small table by the entrance and looked at the queue ahead. Spencer was a bit troubled by this reaction and wondered if wanted to ask what was wrong, and be strong enough to hear the response. He noticed Cara was still looking at him. He smiled at her forcefully.

"How're you doin'?" Cara asked, not the least bit interested.

"I'm doing very well, thank you" Spencer replied, almost mechanically. Cara's eyes narrowed at him.

"Sadie, go ahead" Cara said, giving her a slight nudge. Sadie looked back curiously, back and forth between Spencer and Cara.

"Go order for us too" Cara said, "I'll have a soy non-fat latte" she added. Sadie's brows drew together in confusion. Spencer, noticing both women's distress, decided to step in.

"I'll have a double espresso" he said with a smile. Sadie's confusion cleared and she stepped forward, ordering. Cara looked at him.

"Don't take advantage of her ignorance" Cara said firmly, "She's strong, but not that strong, to lose two people she loves deeply"

Spencer looked at Cara, with her dark blue eyes that perfectly matched her head of red hair and the expression of seriousness that she seemed to wear when talking to him. She'd looked at him the same way that she'd looked at him when they'd first met: as if she were sizing him up and deciding whether or not he was good enough. Spencer nodded.

"I like her a lot" Spencer admitted, "More than I even realize"

Cara's expression softened a little, but she stared at him. Spencer wondered what it was that Cara had seen in the young Sadie that had made her, Cara, so protective of her, Sadie. Had it been something terrible? Something that even words couldn't describe? Or unspeakable? Spencer couldn't bring himself to imagine the tortures that her 'father' had inflicted upon a small child.

Sadie gestured for them to follow her. Spencer noted that she'd lead them to their regular table, the one in the corner, out of the way of all the foot-traffic of the shop. Cara sank into her chair, her hand clutching her head as she took a sip of her coffee. Sadie had bought a chocolate croissant, Spencer noted keenly, as he took his proffered coffee cup. They sat in silence for some time, while Cara drank her coffee.

"Do you want a croissant?" Sadie offered, holding up her post-breakfast snack. Cara's nose wrinkled in disgust.

"Sadie, now you're just being mean" Cara said, in a pleading, child-like voice. Sadie smiled and turned to Spencer.

"Croissant?" she offered. Spencer smiled and shook his head. Sadie bit into her pastry and chewed on it thoughtfully.

"Are you going to work?" Sadie asked, turning to Cara. Cara groaned.

"I think I'll go home" she admitted, "I feel a bit sick"

Sadie's face looked worried as she put a hand on Cara's back and rubbed it soothingly. Cara sighed.

"Maybe you can just sleep in the flat?" Sadie offered. Cara glanced at her.

"No, I've already bothered you too much" Cara said. Sadie smiled at her.

"You're not a bother, Car" Sadie said softly. Spencer was struck by how kind Sadie could be: he'd only ever seen her be shy, or angry, or flustered before. This was a whole new side.

"That's a good idea" Spencer said, clearing his throat, "That way, if you don't get better, someone can take you to a hospital" he added, looking at Cara.

Cara scowled at him.

"Preach" Cara muttered under her breath. Spencer smiled a little and stood up.

"Do you need help getting there?" he asked. Sadie stood up, her croissant half-finished still on the table, picking up the two take-away cups of coffee as she rose. Cara stood up stubbornly, and walked out the shop. Spencer walked beside her, unsure if she needed help or not. Sadie looked worried as she followed them closely.

"Cara, left" Sadie reminded. Cara sighed heavily.

"Has the city always been so loud?" Cara groaned, holding a hand to her head.

"Yes" Sadie responded promptly, making her sigh. Sadie gave the cups she was holding to Spencer.

"Hold this for a second" she said, then walked up beside Cara and took her hand to lead the way.

"This way" Sadie mumbled, leading the way to the apartment, then up the elevator and into her own. Spencer, carrying the two coffee cups, followed in an awkward silence. Sadie entered the apartment and lead Cara through the corridor to the guest room. Spencer, awkward and clueless, stood in the living room and looked at the scattered books on the couch and laZboy, and all over the floor: as if a hurricane had come through there and dislodged all the books and papers from their place. Sadie returned to the room with an apologetic smile.

"Sorry" she said softly, "We didn't get to talk much" she continued. Spencer smiled.

"It's alright" he admitted, "Is she going to be alright?" he asked, nodding towards the room that Cara had retreated to.

"If she isn't by afternoon, I should take her to a clinic" Sadie said, frowning a little, "Right?"

Spencer nodded.

"It's better if you do" he suggested. Sadie nodded again.

"Thank you" she said, smiling. Spencer frowned a little and wondered why she was thanking him. He hadn't done anything. Not even helped carry the coffee!

"I didn't do anything" he said. Sadie smiled.

"You were here" she countered, "Thank you for being there" she said. Spencer smiled a little. Sadie was looking up with his clear green eyes and he felt the urge to lean down and kiss her. And he did. He stepped forward, leaned down and captured her lips with his and kissed her. He barely registered Sadie's arms circling his neck, and his own, though holding coffees, were wrapped around her waist. He pulled away, wanting to hold her properly and put the cups down.

"Hang on a sec" he mumbled softly, missing the feel of her lips against his own as he walked around the couch to put the cups down. When he turned, he saw a bright red blush on Sadie's face that coloured her whole face and neck, and disappeared under the collar of her blouse. Spencer knew for a fact that she coloured red over her shoulders too, he'd seen it once when they'd watched movies at home and she'd worn a tanktop. He stepped close to her and she looked up, eyes wide and cheeks red.

"Spencer" she breathed slowly, "I love you"

Spencer froze, honestly taken aback by her words. He'd figured she was being casual with him and was going with the flow. They hadn't kissed much, nor spent any time together besides the coffee-shop visits, the few dinners and lunches and a few random dates to peculiar places that Spencer liked. He figured she was just passing the time, being with him until someone better came along in her life, someone unlike him. He saw her clear eyes watching him expectantly, and he wondered if could say what she'd said and mean it. Could he really fall in love again? So soon?

"I-I'm sorry" Sadie spoke, turning away, "I didn't mean to surprise you" she continued, her voice cracking, "It just slipped out in the moment of heat. I mean, sure I've thought about you and how I've felt about you and how it feels like the whole world is spinning around you all the time and I guess I just couldn't hold it all in when I thought about it. You're an amazing person, and funny, and cool and I love all your tics and habits and I like that you bring me coke even though you'd rather have sprite, and allow me to make pasta when you can eat better pasta in a shop. It's just after that last kiss, my mind's been muddled and my heart's a galloping mess and every moment that I spend with you, I feel like my heart will break out my chest and I-"

Spencer interrupted her by stepping forward, taking her into his arms and kissing her full on the mouth, tongue and all. First, Sadie's eyes flew open in undisguised surprise, then, she squeezed them shut, leaned in closer and let him do all that he pleased. Spencer felt her arms around his neck once more and he pulled her closer, close enough that their bodies were touching and molded into one another. After a long time, Spencer pulled away from the kiss, but not from the embrace.

"I love you, Sadie" he spoke, breathless from the kiss. Sadie's face was stained red from the exertion and she looked at him with wide, surprised eyes.

"I love you" she breathed, "I love you, I love you" she repeated, pressing her face in his chest, and holding him tight. Spencer smiled as he held her in his arms. He breathed her in, smelling of soap and fruits, and ink from the fountain pen and he felt his racing heart calm down. Sadie's face remained pressed in his shoulder, then, she turned, so her breath was against his neck.

"I'm so glad" she breathed against his neck and Spencer wondered why she seemed so tense when he'd been the one to ask her out in the first place.

His phone ringing, made them both jump and Sadie pulled away from the embrace, almost as if she didn't want to.

Spencer pulled out her cellphone and answered.

"Hello?"

"We're needed in the East coast, bud" it was Morgan, "Are you running late?"

"No, I'm on my way" Spencer said and hung up. Spencer looked up at Sadie, who was looking at nothing in particular, almost mulling over all that had happened in her head.

"Sadie"

Sadie jerked and turned to him, her cheeks colouring red again.

"There's a case in the East coast" he explained. Sadie, for once, looked sad that he had to leave. The last few times he'd left, she'd been encouraging, but this time, her face tilted down and she didn't meet his gaze.

"Oh" she said, "I understand"

Spencer frowned, wondering if he'd somehow disappointed her.

"Sadie?" he said, making her look up. Her eyes were brimmed with un-shed tears and she was forcing herself to hold them back, he realized.

"I'll be back soon" he promised, stepping closer and wiping her cheeks of the tears that had spilled.

"Ok" she said, nodding, her voice cracking. Spencer kissed her cheeks tenderly and Sadie closed her eyes, as if relishing in the touch. He pulled away from her.

"Soon" he promised, stopping by the main door. Sadie nodded.

"Take care" she breathed out, smiling at him. Spencer smiled.

"You too" he said, then before he could change his mind, turned away and walked down the stairs.

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><p>"Apparent suicides in New Jersey" JJ explained as Spencer hurried to get to the jet, "Hotch has already briefed us, here's the file" she added, handing him an iPad. Spencer looked at the post-mortem photographs with mild interest, his heart was not there, his mind wandered. He got on the jet and listened to his team that discussed the case with undivided concentration. Spencer felt like he was betraying them when his thoughts strayed to Sadie, her red cheeks, her full, soft lips and the curve of her back where he'd held her. He let out an involuntary sigh.<p>

"Look at that" Morgan said, grinning at him teasingly, "He's in looo-ve" he said, dragging out the 'o' in the word comically. Spencer glanced at him and didn't deny it.

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><p>The whole case seemed to be one long blurry image. It was the next Saturday afternoon that they left New Jersey to come home. During this week-long excursion, Spencer had heard from Sadie twice. The first had been on Friday afternoon. She'd called him herself and asked if he'd reached safely. They didn't talk much though, after he'd responded, just listened to each other breath through the phone. Then, after a long silence, Sadie said good-bye and take care and hung up. The second time she'd called was Thursday, i.e., the day before yesterday, and she'd asked if he'd be coming back any time soon. He told her they were at the brink of breaking the case wide open and would be back before the weekend. Then, she'd sighed heavily. It seemed out of place, and when Spencer asked her about it, she'd said that Cara hadn't answered her phone that day, and that she was a bit worried. Spencer assumed it was because of Cara's busy schedule and told Sadie as much. She'd agreed with him and apologized for troubling him with her peculiarity. He was surprised she'd used that word to describe herself, but said nothing. Spencer wondered if he ought to call her before getting on the jet. Deciding against it, he sat in his seat and took a nap, to be fresh when he reached D.C so he could make up for all the time he'd spent away from Sadie.<p>

"So, you're in love"

It was JJ, sitting across from him, her right leg crossed over her left, her blonde hair falling on either side of her face, framing it. Spencer sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

"I am" he admitted, now looking her in the eyes. JJ pressed her lips together.

"What about her?" she asked, almost pointedly. Spencer glanced out the window before meeting JJ's gaze again.

"She said it first" he admitted. JJ looked surprised.

"Congratulations, then" she said, smiling now, all the previous hostility gone, "I'm happy for you, Spence" she said seriously. Spencer smiled, thinking about the adorable smile that Sadie had smiled at him a week ago and nodded to himself.

"Thank you, JJ" he said honestly. JJ stood and went to the back of the plane to find her bag with the Cheetos.

"Coffee-shop girl, huh?" Morgan said, from across the aisle. Spencer realized he'd been listening.

"Yes" Spencer said. Morgan nodded.

"Good job, pretty boy" he said grinning.

Spencer smiled thankfully and turned to look out the window again. They were going to land soon, he realized. He took out his phone and stared at it idly. He looked at the contact information he had on Sadie. Just her name and number. No picture, no email address. He had been surprised that she didn't have one. 'I never had the need' she'd told him, 'And I don't know what to do with one.' Spencer found it hard to believe when she'd said so. He was honestly shocked that her cellphone was a five-year-old model flip-phone by Sony Ericsson, the only phone she'd ever owned, she'd told him. She hadn't even registered for voice-mail, because she always seemed to answer, and people knew ways to contact her besides her cellphone, be it the land line, or the rundown to her apartment.

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><p>The first thing that Spencer did when he stepped off the plane, was to dial Sadie's number. After several rings, the caller tune died out and ended in long, irritating beeps. Spencer frowned and wondered if he'd somehow caught her while she'd been taking one of her naps, or trying her hand at baking. He dialed again, walking briskly out the air-strip and to the nearest main road to hail a cab. The phone rang out and ended in beeps again.<p>

Spencer took a breath and steadied himself. It was a nap, he told himself forcefully, dialing again and pressing the phone to his ear, waiting patiently. It rang out again. Spencer had managed to find a cab and tell the driver directions while he dialed Sadie's number again. Halfway through the ring, he hung up, deciding he was over-reacting. He would just appear at her doorstep and catch her off-guard, he decided and put the phone in his pocket.

The cab took twenty minutes to get to Sadie's apartment. All the while, Spencer burned off his jitteriness by moving his knees up and down restlessly. It got worse when he arrived. Paying the driver, Spencer got out and looked up at the apartment building before going in. He took the stairs, for it seemed that the elevator had been held up at level 4 for an exceedingly long time.

The moment Spencer reached the top of the stairs, he knew something was wrong. The door to Sadie's apartment was open a crack. Sadie never did this, he knew for a fact. She was a bit of a control freak when it came to doors and windows. She never left them halfway open, it bothered her a lot. And she seemed terrified of leaving the main door open for too long, as if the apartment would be tainted by the outside air.

Spencer moved silently, one hand reaching for his phone, the other searching his bag for his gun. He dialed JJ's number and held the phone between his ear and shoulder, freeing both hands to equip the standard issue Glock to battle mode.

"Spence, what's up?" JJ answered in a carefree voice. Spencer could hear Henry in the background, giggling.

"Something's wrong" Spencer whispered shortly, "Sadie's apartment, 45, Lexington avenue" he gave her the address.

"Spence, what are you planning to do?" she asked, "Don't do anything, I'll call the polic-" Spencer had cut her off.

"I'm going in" he whispered shortly, hung up and put the phone back in his pocket and pushed open the door.

The door opened soundlessly, Spencer, now pressed against the wall outside her door took a steadying breath. He could do this, he told himself, he could. Spencer stepped forward looking inside the apartment through the door and then, checked the corner and the back of the door, his gun hand held up, pointed and ready to be used. He took another step in, glancing left towards the kitchen and right towards the living room and the corridor that lead beyond. The lights were all off, the curtains drawn to a close. Spencer saw the mess that someone had made in the living room, everything was on the floor, the couch was lying on it's side, the laZboys seemed to have fallen over, even the carpet had been pulled away. The TV had crashed into the coffee-table and both had been smashed, the CDs were all scattered on the floor, and everything was a mess. Spencer glanced towards the kitchen and noticed that all the cupboards were open and several of its contents were on the counter and the kitchen floor.

After confirming it to be empty, he turned right, knowing there were plenty of places to look for the perpetrators. He checked the first door on his right, that lead to the bathroom and finding it empty, moved to the next, on his left, the mini-library. Spencer froze: a man stood in the middle of the room, looking interestedly at the book in his hands. He wore a black suit, his dark hair was pushed back, away from his face and his lips were pulled up in a taunting smile. He looked up at Spencer, who had frozen at the door, his gun hand failing to point at the perpetrator.

"Doctor, we've been expecting you" the man said, his voice thick with an accent. Spencer felt the blow to the back of his head that rendered him unconscious. The world around him seemed to dissolve into blackness and he could hear a laugh as his mind went blank.

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><p>Cliffhanger!<p>

Please don't hate me!

Will be updated soon!

Please, please, please, review!


	15. Chapter 9

Long time no see? Sorry it took so long. Had a bit of trouble with the _'waking from unconsciousness'_ bit.

Happy White Day!

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><p>CHAPTER NINE<p>

DOCTOR WHO?

Spencer drifted between consciousness and unconsciousness. During the few moments of consciousness, he was aware of the ropes binding him, the mouth gag around his jaw and the gentle rumble of a car engine. He was in a small, cooped-up place, perhaps the boot of a car. He lurched in the confined space as the world around him shook. Spencer bumped his head against the metal roof of his prison and sank into unconsciousness again.

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><p>When Spencer finally regained consciousness, he was aware that he was standing up, his arms were bound above his head with metal manacles, his head hurt from the blow he'd received not too long ago and his eyelids felt heavy as he tried to lift them open. With much effort, he opened his eyes, only for it to be too bright, causing him to close them again, blinking with effort as his pupils constricted in response to the excess light. His feet, though touching the ground, were barely holding him up and the entire weight of his body was on his wrists, where he was bound by the steel manacles that dug into his skin, bruising it. Spencer placed his feet firmly on the ground, relieving his wrists of the pain and opened his eyes, now adjusted, to glance around. He saw nothing more than dark recesses and swinging lights. He opened his mouth and managed to form one word, the only word that mattered to him at the moment.<p>

"Sadie?"

Almost immediately, his visual field was occupied by a tall, well-built man, at least half as wide as he was tall, wearing a dark suit that was one size too small for him. Spencer, with the light in his eyes, could not see the man's face, or make out any feature to distinguish him from another, except that he had a square face and a short, military-style hair cut.

"Welcome" the man said, his voice harsh and cold, booming off the walls and Spencer could hear the wicked grin in that one word, which was filled with anger and hate.

"Where is the remote?" the man asked. Spencer's head, still not entirely under voluntary control, went from hanging front to back, as the man shook him firmly.

"Don't know" Spencer said groggily, his head still aching and his mind still processing his surroundings.

Spencer felt the ribs in the left side of his chest crack under the man's fist as it collided with his chest harshly, immediately, almost efficiently. Spencer coughed, his breath knocked out of him and forced his eyes open to look at the man. The man's face was now mere inches from Spencer's and Spencer finally saw the dark eyes, the set jaw and the scars that were his distinguishing feature.

"Another try?" the man said, and Spencer noted that he had a faint accent, French, perhaps.

"Where has zee hid the remote?" he asked. Spencer, now wincing slightly to hold back his scream of pain, shook his head.

"I don't know anything, about a remote" he said, managing to get out all the words without slurring them, or screaming with pain.

The hand that collided with his stomach was hard and knew exactly how much pressure would be required to effectively wound him. Spencer felt the blow in his abdomen, right over his kidney, sending shooting pains from the damaged nerves, making it painful not just there, but along his spine too. He coughed again and this time, there were streaks of blood with bitter yellow bile that he spat out. Spencer's vision was speckled with dark spots as he looked up. He knew he had a few minutes before he lost consciousness. The man must've ruptured his spleen with that blow, he concluded.

"Where is it?!" the man demanded and shook Spencer by his shoulder again. But then, all went black and Spencer lost all consciousness again.

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><p>The voices surrounded him. Spencer half-thought he was dying, because the lights over his head and the dark figures approaching were so familiar. The dark figures over his head said nothing. And yet, Spencer was sure he heard a distant, low voice speak, not directly to him, but in his vicinity.<p>

"Even monsters under the bed have nightmares. Don't you, monster?"

"Dear me. Got some cowboys in here"

"You'll like this bit"

"Did you find her?"

"It's over. Accept that. I'm not winding you up"

"Oh, you never want to listen to reason"

"Call me old-fashioned, but if you really wanted peace, couldn't you just stop fighting?"

"I'm not going to lose her"

"Sadie"

"Time to go home, _A shor_"

As Spencer stumbled through these phrases, his mind telling him he'd heard them before, and yet, not able to pinpoint his memories. His memories were vague and he could no longer tell real from surreal. Spencer saw the light being flashed in his eyes, and someone asking him his name, and what day it was. He didn't know if he answered the person, only that the dreams overtook him before he could figure anything out.

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><p>The smell of bleach and citrus disinfectant filled the air. Little streaks of sunlight came through the open window, and fell on the floor, and the bed, in small, ever-moving blobs. A gentle breeze moved the leaves in the trees and brought into the room the scent of Autumn: of fallen leaves, grass and traces of rainfall. A constant beeping sound was the only disturbance in the silence of the room.<p>

Spencer woke up in a firm bed, wearing only a gown, the kind that was fastened in the back with ties. His mind raced as he regained consciousness and suddenly, he was aware of all that had transpired before his arrival here. He was punched, interrogated and chained to a ceiling. But that was secondary, what was primary was the clear green eyes that he hadn't seen in so long. It seemed such a long time ago that he had been standing in the middle of Sadie's living room, and kissing her so that her face was flushed. He sat up, aware of the IV line in his right arm, the bandages around his chest and abdomen, and on both his wrists, wincing as he moved, looking around the room and trying to figure out everything at once.

"Sadie" he heard himself speak, and yet, she was nowhere to be seen.

The room, not very large, was a private one, so that only Spencer was there. He looked around and saw JJ standing at the nurses' station outside the glass doors that separated his room from the hallway, rubbing her face with her hands, as if she were crying. Next to her were Blake and Garcia, both looking sullen. Spencer looked at them, overcome with guilt for not listening to JJ when she'd told him to not do anything. In the end, he had done nothing. But, how had he be saved? And by whom? JJ and the team couldn't have found him as fast. They didn't have sufficient data. Spencer realized he didn't have sufficient data himself. He found the nurses' call button pushed into his left arm and Spencer pushed it. The three women looked up and on seeing him awake, were clearly relieved and JJ rushed to the room.

"Are you alright?" she asked, eyes red and nose pink. Spencer managed a smile and looked at her apologetically.

"I'm sorry, JJ" he said, sincerely. JJ, overcome with relief, Spencer assumed, shook her head and swallowed hard before throwing herself at him in a hug. Spencer winced as she collided with his body.

"What happened?" Spencer asked, as JJ pulled away, apologizing softly, "Where's Sadie?" he asked. JJ looked at him worriedly, then at her friends for help. Garcia was dabbing her eyes with a pink handkerchief. Blake looked at him with a small, encouraging smile.

"She's in surgery" she said, "They're fixing her fractures"

"Fractures?" Spencer repeated, eyes wide and feeling like there was a fire in the pit of his stomach, "She's not hurt too bad? Did you talk to her?"

Blake frowned.

"We don't know, truth be told" Blake admitted, "An Agent Rogers told us she was in good hands and that we needn't worry" she explained. Spencer scowled.

"What was it all about? Have you heard anything?" he continued, his heart racing rapidly, uncontrollably.

"No details" JJ informed, "Spence, we were worried about you. Hotch and Morgan are with Rogers right now, finding out details. Hotch was super pissed that you got involved" she said, sounding almost proud of Hotch. Spencer nodded and leaned back, wincing as he moved.

"She's ok" he said, more to himself than anyone, "She's ok"

JJ bit her lip and looked worriedly at him. Spencer looked at her.

"What's wrong?" he asked. JJ looked to Blake again, who nodded for her to go on. JJ turned to Spencer.

"They want to talk to you as soon as you're awake" she said, "But if you don't feel too well, it's alright. We'll get rid of them"

Spencer nodded.

"I can talk" he said, "You can go tell them I'm awake"

* * *

><p>Spencer spent the next ten minutes staring absently at the wall in front of him. In his mind, he tried to piece together all that he could remember from the first moment he felt something was wrong, until he woke up in the hospital bed. He remembered walking into Sadie's apartment, finding the man in the mini-library, his face, square-ish, with a lean figure, and greying hair. He remembered being hit on the back of his head, and absently, he reached his hand up to feel for it. It was there, a small bump on his occipital bone, the skin over it was mostly intact, but it still hurt when Spencer pressed it. He remembered where he'd been kept: short room, concrete walls and floor, steel manacles and large spotlights. He remembered that the air in the place smelled of ammonia and rotting meat, and musty, like there wasn't enough ventilation. The man who had appeared suddenly had been tall, muscular, with the specific scars on his face. Spencer remembered that: the scars on his face, the way they criss-crossed on his left cheek, and the scar on his forehead that gave him the specific fringe because of the way it involved his scalp. Then, he remembered voices, not a voice he knew, but phrases, and bits and pieces of conversation, or so it seemed, then, he remembered waking up here, in the hospital.<p>

JJ sat beside Spencer, eyes no longer red, but cheeks a little flushed. Spencer, waking from his daydream looked at her worriedly.

"Where's Henry?" he asked, hoping it would improve her mood.

"Will's taken him out back" she said, smiling a small smile, "We didn't want Henry to see you unconscious and start to worry" she added. Spencer nodded.

"Sorry about all this" Spencer said, "And about not listening to you"

JJ looked up at him.

"I get it" she said, "Because Sadie was in danger, right?" she asked. Spencer swallowed and nodded.

"It was a gut feeling" he admitted, "And when I saw her apartment door ajar, I knew something was wrong. She never leaves the door open for too long, it bothers her"

Spencer frowned and wondered why Sadie hated leaving the door open for too long. Then, as he thought of her, he wondered if she was alright, and if the surgery was almost done, and if hadn't been treated too badly when she had been kidnapped. Spencer frowned absently.

"There was another person" JJ said, making Spencer turn to her in confusion.

"Another person?" he repeated, "Where?" he asked.

"Where they found you, and Sadie" she said, sighing, "There was another person, an agent, Rogers said, who'd been missing for two days already"

Spencer scowled.

"Cara" he realized, making JJ scowl at him in astonishment.

"Cara Fitzgerald" she nodded, "How did you know?" she asked. Spencer felt worse now, as he thought of Sadie's worried voice on the phone all those days ago, telling him Cara hadn't been answering, and he'd ignored it, worse still, he'd told Sadie to ignore it too.

"Sadie said something about Cara not answering phone calls" he admitted, softly. JJ sighed.

"Well, Agent Fitzgerald got the worse end of the deal" JJ informed, "She's in surgery to fix a femur fracture and internal bleeding"

Spencer felt sick to his stomach, like he was punched again. It was his fault. If he had taken her absence more seriously, Cara wouldn't be in so much trouble right now.

"Spence, are you alright?" JJ asked worriedly, looking at him. Spencer swallowed hard and nodded.

"I feel nauseous" Spencer admitted. JJ frowned at him and pressed the call button for the nurse.

JJ rubbed his back soothingly as Spencer looked down at his lap, feeling the bile rising up his chest. Then, it was out and the quick-thinking nurse, who had just arrived, had placed the kidney tray in his lap where the yellow fluid collected as he retched. Then, as JJ asked the nurse to do something in a worried, shrill voice, Spencer tasted the bile in his mouth and felt more sick and retched into the tray some more. He was aware of the nurse pushing something into his IV line, but he couldn't see exactly what, he retched into the tray again, which was now filled with yellow fluid streaked with blood. The nurse took the tray away and put an empty one in his lap, holding him upright, along with JJ.

After a few more attempts at retching(he'd emptied his stomach, or so it seemed, for nothing came out anymore) he felt less sick and more better. He looked up and saw the look of worry in JJ's eyes, then caught her looking out the glass doors. following her gaze, Spencer found himself staring at two tall, well-built men, dressed all in black, as if they had just returned from a raid, which they probably had, their weapons and other things still in their holders. Beside them were the rest of the BAU team, with Morgan, Hotch and Rossi looking at him worriedly and Blake looking like she was holding it all together, and Garcia, who was still dabbing at her eyes worriedly, leaning onto Morgan for support.

"Is that them?" Spencer asked, his nausea passing as the drug that the nurse had injected started to take effect, "The ones who rescued us?" he asked. JJ nodded once.

The nurse was busy pushing in meds into his IV line, checking the monitors, filling in the charts, basically being a busy-body all around the room. Spencer felt faint and his headache reduced considerably. He leaned back onto the propped-up bed, resting his head on the pillow and feeling less faint as the moments passed.

"They can wait, Spence" JJ argued worriedly, frowning at her like she always did when someone she loved was hurt, "I'll tell them you can't talk right now" she finished, decidedly, standing up to do what she'd planned.

"No" Spencer argued, eyes fixed on her as JJ stopped walking and looked at him, "I want to talk to them, or rather, I want to know about Sadie's condition" he said, his voice thick and almost slurring from whatever opioid the nurse had pushed into his system.

"Spence" JJ said worriedly. Spencer looked at her.

"Please, JJ" he begged and JJ sighed and smiled, knowing full-well she couldn't refuse when he begged for something.

"Only for a little while" she said strictly, like the mother that she was, "And don't strain yourself too much" she warned. Spencer nodded and let his head fall back, and waited.

He heard the door sliding open, then close. The nurse was still being a busy-body around the room, and despite her sneakers, Spencer could hear her move around the room, checking everything before she wrote it down in the charts. A few moments later, the door slid open, and Spencer heard unfamiliar footsteps enter, making him lift his head up and open his eyes to look at them. The two men dressed all in black for combat were not as similarly built as he'd assumed them to be through the glass doors, accompanied by a man in scrubs, Spencer assumed that he was his doctor. One was short, skinny and wore thick glasses under his mane of shaggy blonde hair, the other was tall, well-built, but not entirely muscular and wore a pair of dark goggles, his black hair was swept back and kept there, out of his face, with what Spencer assumed to be, hair gel, and lots of it. It was the short one who stepped up to speak. The doctor checked Spencer's vitals and gave him a full head-to-toe while the man spoke.

"Dr. Reid, I'm Agent Rogers, and on behalf of the entire European Unit, I would like to extend my humblest apologies for your being dragged into this whole fiesta" he stated, in a clear voice, with vague hand gestures and finished it off with a grand bow. Spencer stared at him, stunned, by his behaviour and all his word-forming capacities came to a sudden stand-still. The man, Rogers, looked up, seemingly disappointed, then stood up straight.

"Well, let me introduce you" Rogers went on, looking only slightly offended, "to the chief of our unit and the master of these plans, _the Doctor_" he said, gesturing to the tall man. Spencer turned his head to look directly at the taller man and waited. _The Doctor_ had a ring to it, Spencer thought.

"Well" the tall man spoke, his voice low, his accent strangely familiar, "I suppose I ought to introduce myself" he went on, grinning and Spencer sat up, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief, staring at the man who was now taking off his dark goggles to reveal his clear green eyes, of the same shape and colour that Spencer had learned to love.

"SAC Nolan O'Connell" he said, eyes fixed on Spencer, "Nice to meet you, Doc"

Spencer continued to stare at him, his eyes fixed and disbelieving, his heart racing wildly, his mouth open to say something, anything at all, but words failed him and he stared at the man who was supposed to be dead and wondered what could be said to such a person?

"In short" Nolan went on, ignoring Spencer's internal dilemma, pacing the room from glass door to window and back, "You were not supposed to be there that day" he said, "Sadie was taken, I knew that, I had a plan for that, but you, Doc, you were the joker in the mix, the wildcard, and truth be told, I don't even know why you went there that day. I mean, you were supposed to be in New York, or New Jersey, or somewhere else out East!" he said, now turning to look Spencer in the eyes. Spencer stared back, still in shock at seeing a dead man walking around his hospital room: not a very comforting thought. Spencer stared as the man stopped at the foot of his bed and looked at Spencer seriously.

"Good to see you up, laddie" he said, grinning brightly. Spencer's mind, as if a dam had broken, flooded with words, that formed questions, which then poured out of his mouth in a continuous, breathless monologue.

"Where is Sadie? How is she? Does she know you're alive? What about Cara? Does she know? Why did Sadie have to get involved? If you knew about the kidnappings, why didn't you prevent them? How long have you been here? Have you been here at all? Who are the people that kidnapped us? Why had they kidnapped us? How did you survive an assassination? Why did you need to fake your own death? Why did you return even after you'd faked your own death? Are you planning on telling Sadie? Is she awake? Is she back from surgery? Have you spoken to her? Is she alright?"

When Spencer paused for a breath, he heard Nolan laughing boisterously. Spencer looked up, frowning, angry at this man who had been the cause of Sadie's pain and suffering, who was now acting like it didn't matter. Spencer knew. He knew because he's seen her, gloomy and dark and withdrawn from the world. And the way Cara spoke, he realized that she didn't know either, or perhaps, she was just a good actor. In any case, he felt bad for Sadie, who had been deceived by this man, who seemed unaffected by the pain and suffering that Sadie had endured, by herself, all this time.

"Sadie was just brought out of surgery" Nolan said, his laughter fading, "She's a fighter, that one. I didn't talk to her before because she was unconscious, and no, she didn't know. Neither did Cara, for that matter. The doctor said Sadie was unresponsive because she may have had a blow to the head, but the scans were clean, she's responding to sounds right now, recovering in the ICU. Cara's out of surgery too, and wide awake, _scundered off_ at me for no good reason" he informed, shrugging, "and you're fine, as far as I can tell" he finished abruptly. Spencer swallowed.

"Sadie... can I see Sadie?" Spencer looked at him seriously. Nolan stared back, as if he were sizing Spencer up. The doctor met Spencer's eyes.

"Sure, it could be good for her" he said simply, "We'll have the nurse take you there soon, Spencer" he assured in a kind voice.

Spencer stared at him. The man, Nolan, Sadie's brother, was looking at him almost wistfully.

"Well" he said at last, "Time to go home. Rogers will swing by when you're better to write down your statement" he informed, then, turning on his heel, walked away, out the door and into the corridor, Roger, the little blonde guy, following him, shutting the glass door, leaving Spencer alone in the silence. The doctor was still looking over Spencer's charts when Spencer felt the drugs kick in and he slipped into a deep sleep.

* * *

><p>In his dreams, Spencer heard voices, and now, he knew what those voices were, they were Nolan's voice, mostly and he kept saying absurd things, completely randomly, it seemed to Spencer, even in his dreams.<p>

"Even monsters under the bed have nightmares. Don't you, monster?"

"Dear me. Got some cowboys in here"

"You'll like this bit"

"It's over. Accept that. I'm not winding you up"

"Oh, you never want to listen to reason"

"Call me old-fashioned, but if you really wanted peace, couldn't you just stop fighting?"

"I'm not going to lose her"

"Sadie"

"Time to go home, _A shor_"

* * *

><p>When Spencer woke up, his flimsy hospital gown was soaked in sweat, the light outside his window was fading and he realized he'd slept through the day. Morgan was sitting in a chair beside his bed and looking through a magazine. Spencer felt his head throb with pain as he sat up. Morgan, stirred from his concentration by Spencer's movement, turned to him, and on seeing him awake, helped him sit up and offered him a glass of water.<p>

"Bad dream?" Morgan asked softly as Spencer sipped his water.

"I think they were memories" Spencer admitted, swallowing down the water with much difficulty, "Of my rescue" he finished, putting the glass down. Morgan sat back and looked at Spencer with a strange curiosity.

"But you were unconscious until the paramedic in the chopper saw you" Morgan said, "Or so Rogers claimed"

Spencer nodded.

"I remember that, I think" Spencer said uncertainly, frowning to himself, "someone did ask me what my name was, and what day I thought it was. It seems more like a dream right now"

Morgan frowned, and Spencer turned to look at him.

"Have you seen her?" Spencer asked, "Sadie?"

Morgan's frown deepened.

"What's wrong?" Spencer asked, knowing that Morgan was thinking of a way to put things lightly, "Is she alright? Morgan?" he asked, now worried. As Morgan stalled his response, a knot formed inside Spencer's stomach, which tightened with every passing second. Morgan sighed.

"She's awake" Morgan said and Spencer released a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.

"But?" Spencer asked, sensing that Morgan wasn't even close to done. Morgan looked up, searching Spencer's face, and choosing his words with care, and caution.

"She hasn't spoken a word" Morgan said, "The doctor said that she's dissociated from her feelings" he continued uncertainly, "It could be anything from locked-in syndrome to acute stress disorder. There's a whole bunch of shrinks in her room right now, trying to get her to respond to anything less than pain, which they can't seem to get out of her"

Spencer, having heard enough, sat up, pulling his covers back and made to leave the bed, to walk over there right now, to hold her hand and kiss her and tell her that everything was fine. Morgan stood up.

"Let me call the nurse up for some wheels, pretty boy" he offered, when Spencer opened his mouth to tell him off. Spencer closed his mouth and nodded.

"Thank you" he said, swallowing by the tears that burned in his eyes and forcing himself to calm down as the words that Morgan had spoken sank in. Sadie was alive, but not quite herself. She was only a shell of her former self.

* * *

><p>Note:(I've never written one of these before!)<p>

1. _A shor _- an Irish term of endearment; means 'my treasure'; used on children and loved ones.

2. _Scundered off -_ Irish phrase meaning 'got pissed at' or 'yelled at'

3. The sentences in Spencer's dream sequences: dialogues from _'Doctor Who'_(don't own that either, I'm afraid.)

4. Please, please, _please _review.

Next chapter will be uploaded as soon as I finish writing it(probably by next month, knowing me!)


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